Describes how a group of powerful pirate captains joined forces to create a powerful den of thieves, which led to a distinctive form of democracy in the Bahamas, one that ultimately was destroyed by a merchant fleet owner and former privateer.

Explores the role of the Whydah in the slave trade and discusses how it came to be a pirate ship, providing evidence of what life was like for pirates in the Caribbean Area in the 18th century through artifiacts found on the wrecks of pirate ships.

In a page-turning tale brimming with adventure, author Richard Sanders tells of the remarkable exploits of Bartholomew Roberts (better known as Black Bart), the greatest of the Caribbean pirates. He drank tea instead of rum. He banned women and gambling on his ships.  He never made his prisoners walk the plank, instead inviting them into his cabin for a friendly chat.  And during the course of his extraordinary two-and-a-half-year career as a pirate captain, he captured four hundred prizes and brought trade in the eastern Caribbean to a standstill.  In If a Pirate I Must Be..., Richard Sanders tells the larger-than-life story of Bartholomew Roberts, aka Black Bart.  Born in a rural town, Roberts rose from third mate on a slave ship to pirate captain in a matter of months.  Before long, his combination of audaciousness and cunning won him fame and fortune from the fisheries of Newfoundland to the slave ports of West Africa.  Sanders brings to life a fascinating world of theater and ritual, where men (a third of whom were black) lived a close-knit, egalitarian life, democratically electing their officers and sharing their spoils.  They were highly (if surreptitiously) popular with many merchants, with whom they struck incredibly lucrative deals.  Yet with a fierce team of Royal Navy pirate hunters tracking his every move, Roberts’ heyday would prove a brief one, and with his capture, the Golden Age of pirates would pass into the lore and legend of books and movies.  Based on historical records, journals and letters from pirates under Roberts’ command, and on writings by Roberts himself, If a Pirate I Must Be... is the true story of the greatest pirate ever to sail the Caribbean. 

Bartholomew Roberts, also known as Black Bart, was easily one of the most successful and deadly pirates in all of history. He went to sea at a young age and took to pirate life well. This book talks about his life.

Offers a social and cultural history of pirates and the reaction to them in the English colonies of North America, focusing on the high-seas drama during the decade from 1716 to 1726.