Pirates contributed to the British understanding of trans-oceanic navigation, patterns of trade and remote communities. This knowledge advanced imperial expansion, which helps to explain why contemporary attitudes towards piracy were ambivalent. This book, an engaging study of vested interests and conflicting ideologies, shows how pirates were portrayed in trial reports, novels, legal documents, sermons, ballads and newspapers. It throws light on contemporary ideals of leadership and masculinity, gives insight into the domestic life of pirates, and offers comparisons with our experience of pirates. --Publisher.