You might be a fan of Jack Sparrow in the Pirates of the Caribbean movies. But did you know that real-life pirates were even more daring and charismatic? For example, Edward Teach, better known as Blackbeard, reportedly kept a lit fuse under his hat, creating a frightening haze of smoke around his head. William Fly, convicted of piracy in 1726, had to show his executioner how to tie the noose that went around his neck at the gallows. Pirates are outlaws who commit crimes at sea. Throughout history they have attacked cargo-laden ships to pillage gold, silver, human slaves, and valuable foodstuffs. Twenty-first-century pirates take crews hostage and demand ransoms. Some even siphon off petroleum from tanker ships. The world of pirates is one of violence and economic desperation. Yet over the centuries, pirates have acquired a reputation as rugged adventurers and heroes. Novelists, playwrights, cartoonists, and screenwriters have created a wide range of tales showing pirates as noble and even lovable figures. Swashbuckling Scoundrels introduces readers to real-life pirates—medieval Viking raiders, Caribbean buccaneers, black pirates, female pirates, and modern-day pirates—as well as famous fictional characters such as Long John Silver and Mary "Jacky" Faber of the Bloody Jack series of novels. See how historical and fictional pirates compare and why we thrill to tales of daring outlaw pirates.

Action-packed stories of pirates, treachery, and buried treasure have excited and fascinated readers ever since Treasure Island became an instant bestseller in 1883. But are these tales partly fact or totally fiction? What do we know about the real pirates of yesteryear? Who were they, and where did they come from? And what is the reality behind the myth? Pirates and Privateers delves into the real lives of the men and women whose brutal journeys of adventure have become legendary. It explores the true story behind those tempestuous times, and reveals the ruthless violence of notorious seadogs such as Blackbeard, Captain Kidd, Henry Morgan, and the Barbarossa Brothers, plundering their way across the seven seas in search of riches and infamy.

A follow up to 2007's Classic Home Video Games, 1972-1984, this reference work provides detailed descriptions and reviews of every U.S.-released game for the Nintendo NES, the Atari 7800, and the Sega Master System, all of which are considered among the most popular video game systems ever produced. Organized alphabetically by console brand, each chapter includes a description of the game system followed by substantive entries for every game released for that console. Video game entries include publisher/developer data, release year, gameplay information, and, typically, the author's critique. A glossary provides a helpful guide to the classic video game genres and terms referenced throughout the work, and a preface provides a comparison between the modern gaming industry and the industry of the late 1980s.

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