Pirates and Privateers
The History of Maritime Piracy

Cindy Vallar, Editor & Reviewer
P.O. Box 425, Keller, TX  76244-0425

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Within these pages of Pirates & Privateers, you'll find articles on all aspects of maritime piracy from ancient times to modern day. Pirate Articles is an annotated list of all the articles I've written. Pirate Links is an annotated list of the best web sites that specialize in piracy and life at sea from early days through the Age of Sail. The Book Review pages house the reviews on the latest fiction and non-fiction pirate and maritime books for children and adults. Other highlights include specialized bibliographies, piratical places to visit, pirate dates in history, piracy quotes, and information about The Rebel and the Spy, my current novel-in-progress that started me on the path of piracy.

If you'd like to be notified when I post a new article, as well as to read the latest pirate-related news that doesn't appear here, subscribe to the Pirates and Privateers Newsletter. If you'd like to read a sample of my newsletter before you subscribe, click here. Subscribers never miss out on the latest happenings at Pirates and Privateers.

As always, if you have a question about pirates, please write and ask. If you'd like me to write about a particular pirate or subject, let me know. One cautionary note to those searching for genealogical information. Historical records about pirates are rare. Much of what is known comes from government records, including court trials, and the few first-person accounts written during a particular time period. This information rarely contains details pertinent to what you need to identify and/or learn about ancestors. The simple fact is that the vast majority of pirates' names remain unknown. I cannot answer this type of question, so rather than contact me, you should check genealogical depositories and websites, as well as national archives.

A special note to teachers and students: Answering questions and locating information is something I love to do. If you need help with a project or report, please contact me. Should you use any of my articles or reviews, please let me know and remember to include the proper citation. The majority of material contained within this website is copyrighted.

   
Fair winds and following seas,

Cindy

also known as The Pirate Lady

 

Click banner to listen to my interview

 

(Site updated 20 June 2019)

July/August Article Pirate Ships of the West Pirates have many different weapons at their disposal, but the most important and the one that sets them apart from an ordinary highwayman is their ship. This article explores those used in the west, particularly during the 17th and 18th centuries. Part one examines the three traits pirates sought in their vessels. Part two will be published August 20th. Pirate Quote of the Month Were I to choose a ship for myself, I would have her sail well, yet strongly built, her decks flush and flat, and so roomy that men might pass with ease; her bow and chase so galley like contrived, should bear as much ordnance as with convenience she could, for that always cometh most to fight, and so stiff, she should bear a stiff sail, and bear out her lower tier of guns in any reasonable weather. -- Captain John Smith, A Seaman's Grammar, 1691

The Bonnie Bookaneer's July/August Book Reviews Captain Easterday's Bargain by Kathleen Buckley Historical Romance, 18th century Destiny's Tide by J. D. Davies Historical Fiction, 16th century Crusoe, Castaways and Shipwrecks in the Perilous Age of Sail by Mike Rendell History, Literature, Maritime History, 17th & 18th centuries Reviewed by Irwin Bryan

Upcoming Appearances

	If you would like the Pirate Lady  to speak to your group, please contact me. For information on upcoming workshops, click here.

For additional appearances, visit Thistles & Pirates.

 
 
Pirate and Maritime News

Who Were the Real Pirates & Privateers? On 16 July, I will be the guest speaker at the Houston Bay Area RWA Chapter, which meets at the Kirkmont MUD Building in Houston, Texas at 7:30 pm. Since this occurs during the time I normally work on the website, I've decided to take my summer holiday. So I shall return with the next installment of "The Pirate Ships of the West" and new reviews in August. Enjoy your summer and have safe travels wherever they make take you!

Pirate & Maritime Events, Exhibits, & Courses

Events Baltimore Pirate Weekend 21-23 June 2019 Baltimore, Ireland Pyrate Fest 22-25 June 2019 Put-In-Bay, Ohio Rusty Scupper's Pirate Daze 28-30 June Westport, Washington Blackbeard's Treasure Hunt Fridays 28 June - 16 August 2019 Nags Head, North Carolina Wilmington Pirate Festival 29 June 2019 Kalmar Nyckel Shipyard and Fort Christina Park Wilmington, Delaware Pirate Day at the Hempsted Houses 29 June 2019 New London, Connecticut Pirate Invasion 29-30 June 2019 Long Beach, California Tall Ships America 29 June - 1 September 2019 Great Lakes United States and Canada Seattle Seafair Pirates Landing 6 July 2019 Seattle, Washington Fort Knox Pirate Parlay 13 July 2019 Fort Knox State Historic Site Prospect, Maine Swashbuckler Weekend Bristol Renaissance Festival 13-14 July 2019 Kenosha, Wisconsin Who Were the Real Pirates & Privateers? presented by Cindy Vallar Tuesday, 16 July 2019 7:30 pm Houston Bay Area RWA Chapter Kirkmont MUD Building Houston, Texas Lone Star Pirate Festival 20 July 2019 Houston, Texas Pirates at Pemaquid The Infamous Dixie Bull Strikes Again! 20 July 2019 Fort William Henry Pemaquid Beach, Maine Iowa-Minnesota Pirate Festival 3-4 August 2019 Owatonna, Minnesota Palmyra Pirate Weekend 9-10 August 2019 Palmyra, New York Sarnia-Lambton Tall Ship Celebration 9-11 August 2019 Sarnia, Ontario, Canada Beaufort Pirate Invasion 9-11 August 2019 Beaufort, North Carolina Pirates of the Pacific Festival 9-11 2019 Brooks Harbor, Oregon Pirates & Wenches Fantasy Weekend 9-11 2019 Rock Hall, Maryland Bill Johnston's Pirate Days 9-18 August 2019 Alexandria Bay, New York Outer Banks Pirate Festival 14-15 August 2019 Nags Head, North Carolina Tybee Island Pirate Fest 10-13 October 2019 Tybee Island, Georgia

Exhibits, Courses, & Performances Discover the Vikings 29 June - 29 September 2019 The Beacon Museum Whitehaven, UK The Vikings in Northumbria 11 June - 28 September 2019 Open Treasure Durham Cathedral Durham, UK Horrible Histories Pirates The Exhibition Opens 6 April 2019 Portsmouth Historic Dockyard Portsmouth Naval Base Portsmouth, UK Vikings: Beyond the Legend 18 April - 20 October 2019 Royal Alberta Museum Edmonton, Alberta, Canada Pirates, Privateers and Buccaneers 20 March - 28 September 2019 North Myrtle Beach Historical Museum North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina

Visitors' Reviews Thank you for the good work you do. Fascinating stuff. -- K. B. Luke Thank you for the awesome work you did on Age of Sail. Keep up the great work! -- Daniel Thibaut

The Articles

Being a Pirate (or How to be one)
History of Piracy
Modern Piracy
Notorious Pirates (or Who was who)
Piracy Around the World
Pirates and Literature
Privateers
Wooden Sailing Ships

The Links

Activities for Young Pirates
Archaeology
Education
Exotic Ports of Call
History
Modern-day Piracy
Notorious Pirates
Pirate Literature
Piratical Books Online
Ships and Sailing
Treasure Troves
 

The Bookaneer

Latest Reviews
Five-Star Reviews
Books for Young Pirates
Books for Apprenticed Pirates and Young Adults
Fiction Books for Adults
Nonfiction Books for Adults
 

Special Resources

Pirate Adventures  and Pirates Adventures 2010 and Pirates Adventures 2017
Fun places for pirates in need of rest & relaxation
(Updated April 2017)

The Age of Sail
Examines merchant ships, maritime commerce, and seaports

Before the Age of Sail
Examines ships prior to the seventeenth century

Barbary Corsairs Resources
Articles, books, and web sites on the Barbary Corsairs

Canadian Piracy Resources
Articles, books, and web sites on piracy and privateering in Canada

Modern Piracy Resources
Articles, books, and web sites on piracy today
(Updated February 2019)

Pirates and Death
(PDF chart listing pirates and how they died)
(Updated April 2018)
 
Piratical Dates
Events in history related to pirates and the world in general
(Updated January 2019)

Pyrate Surgeons Resources
Articles, books, and web sites on pyrate surgeons and medicine at sea in the Age of Sail

Wooden Sailing Ships
Inside look at a wooden ship

Pirates and Privateers Site Map
 

The majority of the artwork on these pages is copyrighted by the artists.
To obtain permission for their use please go to ClipArt.com.

The backgrounds used on Pirates and Privateers are from WebGround.
 
 

The Rebel and the Spy

The Rebel and the Spy, my current Novel-in-Progress, centers around Jean Laffite and the Battle of New Orleans.  Below are links to places depicted in the novel and a resource list for those seeking information on Jean Laffite, Pirates, Ships in the Age of Sail, the Battle of New Orleans, Andrew Jackson, and many other subjects.

Jean Laffite's Haunts

New Orleans and Piracy Resource List
(Updated December 2018)
 

Each month I alert readers to the posting of my latest piracy article and book reviews, new additions made to the site, and interesting tidbits about piracy. If you'd like to receive the Pirates and Privateers monthly newsletter, just complete the form below.

Note to subscribers: If you fail to receive your newsletter, it's possible that your e-mail provider returned it to me for one of several reasons: they deem it to be junk mail; your mailbox is over quota; access to your account is denied; or you changed e-mail addresses and forgot to notify me of the change.  Contact me and we'll try to solve the problem.  If your newsletter bounces two months in a row and you don't contact me, I just delete you from the subscriber list.

Copyright © 2000-2018 Cindy Vallar

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