Investigating the fascination pirates hold over the popular imagination, Peter Earle takes the fable of ocean-going Robin Hoods sailing under the "banner of King Death" and contrasts it with the murderous reality of robbery, torture and death and the freedom of a short, violent life on the high seas. The book charts 250 years of piracy, from Cornwall to the Caribbean, from the 16th century to the hanging of the last pirate captain in Boston in 1835....

In September 1804, as England stands alone against France and the fleets of Spain, Vice-Admiral Richard Bolitho hoists his flag above the veteran Hyperion and sets sail with a new squadron for the Caribbean. His orders are to plan and execute a daring dawn raid on the Spanish Main.

British maritime history in the age of sail is full of the deeds of officers like Nelson but has given little voice to plain, "illiterate" seamen. Now Stephen Taylor draws on published and unpublished memoirs, letters, and naval records, including court-martials and petitions, to present these men in their own words. In this account, ordinary seamen are far from the hapless sufferers of the press gangs. Proud and spirited, learned in their own fashion,...

In1808 Sir Richard Bolitho of the British Royal Navy is ordered to establish a permanent force at the Cape of Good Hope. He embarks with his mistress on the Golden Plover, but disaster eventually overtakes the ship.

Having sunk the first man-of-war under his command within weeks, Matthew Quinton is determined to complete his second mission without loss of life or honor. His suspicion grows that the previous captain of the "Jupiter" was murdered and many among his crew have something to hide.

Drawing on archives from around the world, Colin Martin and Geoffrey Parker also deploy new evidence from Armada shipwrecks off the coasts of Ireland and Scotland. Their illustrated account provides a fresh understanding of how the rival fleets came into being; how they looked, sounded, and smelled; and what happened when they finally clashed. Looking beyond the events of 1588 to the complex politics which made war between England and Spain inevitable,...

In the midst of his wedding reception, Hornblower receives orders to report the next day to his command in the Channel Fleet and help protect England against Napoleon's threatened invasion.

After winning his freedom from prison and rejoining the fleet, Horatio Hornblower learns that he has been promoted to lieutenant. But news of his next mission is not as welcome, for the Indefatigable will be transporting a small force of French Royalists on a desperate plot to invade Brittany. Despite British doubts, the French insist that their plan will succeed. Traveling with a force led by a cruel and condescending marquis, Hornblower is shocked...