If one of your favorite movie franchises is Pirates of the Caribbean, and you love the YA book Daughter of the Pirate King, but you’re looking to get into nonfiction recs, you’ve come to the right place. Pirate fiction is fun, but where did the origins begin? Let’s find out about real-life pirates together. Read on to explore 4 nonfiction books that’ll have your sights set on the horizon.
Grace O’Malley: The Biography of Ireland’s Pirate Queen, 1530-1603 by Anne Chambers
The first biography on Ireland’s most famous pirate queen, Anne Chambers, attempts to keep Grace O’Malley from being overlooked in the discussion of pirates. Since its release in 1979, Chambers has made several adaptations of it, including a play and a screenplay for a mini-series, which is currently in development as of November 2022.
Grace O’Malley became the leader of the Ó Máille dynasty in Ireland in the late sixteenth century despite having a brother who should’ve taken over. She was a successful chieftain, mariner, pirate, wife, and mother. She helped settle several disputes with the English, both diplomatically and with force, helping to skyrocket the status of Ireland worldwide. This story about a brave and strong female pirate in Ireland is one you do not want to skip.
The Republic of Pirates: Being the True and Surprising Story of the Caribbean Pirates and the Man Who Brought Them Down by Colin Woodard
Colin Woodard, an American journalist and author, published The Republic of Pirates in 2008. It has since inspired the NBC series Crossbones, starring Richard Coyle.
This historical biography set in the early eighteenth century follows the Flying Gang, an infamous group of pirates who started their own republic off the coast of the Bahamas. They established a system where blacks could be equal citizens, and leaders were chosen by vote. Woodard expertly crafts a story about these pirates and the beginnings of democracy that would one day inspire the American Revolution.
Under the Black Flag: The Romance and Reality of Life Among the Pirates by David Cordingly
Cordingly was on the staff of the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich, England, for 12 years before he published Under the Black Flag in 2006. This book is largely considered to be the definitive guide to pirates.
This book depicts the history of infamous pirates, from Blackbear to Captain Hook, and is equally entertaining and informative. Cordingly will keep you interested from beginning to end in his discussion of pirates’ lives. Under the Black Flag is the quintessential book for anyone obsessed with pirates, real or fictional.
Thomas Jefferson and the Tripoli Pirates: The Forgotten War That Changed American History by Brian Kilmeade and Don Yaeger
Twenty-five years after the United States won their independence, they faced a new threat to their freedom: pirates. Along North Africa’s Barbary Coast, American merchants were often captured and held for ransom that the United States was scarcely able to afford.
America had tried cooperating with the four Muslim Powers controlling the pirates (Tripoli, Tunis, Algiers, and Morocco) until Thomas Jefferson sent the US Navy to blockade Tripoli, which began the Barbary Wars. This historical book strives to prevent the brave men who fought in this battle from being forgotten.
Whether you’re looking for a biography about a specific pirate or a history of a whole crew, these are some great books that will soothe your pirate fantasies. Let us know if you’ve read any of these books on our socials!
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