Pirates? The Politics of Plunder, 1550-1650

Early Modern Literature in History

by Claire Jowitt (Editor)

This inter-disciplinary study is the first to consider how representations of pirates addressed both national political issues and the agenda of particular interest groups. Looking at a variety of well-known and neglected figures and texts, as well as canonical ones, it shows how attitudes to piracy and privateering were debated and contested between 1550 and 1650. This collection of broad-ranging essays by international figures offers a new perspective on an early modern cultural phenomenon, and satisfies the need for a scholarly, in-depth analysis of this important topic in Renaissance history.

Genres: Pirates

257 pages, Hardcover

First published November 3, 2006

Reviews

[Dylan Craig]

This book contains a solid collection of engaging essays, but sadly suffers from "conference-proceeding-itis" - no clear main theme, no solid takeaway, no useful pointers for further reading except in the first essay on legal codes. If a topic you're interested appears as one of the chapter titles you'll be well served, but as a book for one's shelf this one falls short.