Pirates by Joel Baer
From Blackbeard, to the pirates‘ pirate, Black Bart, this book encapsulates the true story of the ‘golden age of piracy’ and how it ended. Pirates are usually thought of as dashing, freedom loving rogues with contempt for the law and its minions. The mythical hero of the golden age of piracy (1660-1730) lived for the moment, so goes the myth, and ‘the devil take the consequences.’ Joel Baer shows how false a notion this really is and how aware freebooters were of the law. He reveals how, whenever possible, they attempted to walk a fine line between sanctioned privateering and outright piracy. ‘Pirateers,’ as they were sometimes called at the time, were often spectacularly successful at this game, exploiting legal loopholes, corrupt officials and the shifting sands of international relations to legitimize their actions. Joel Baer tells the story of this age through the lens of seven British freebooters, detailing their exuberant and murderous lives, their crimes and ‘prizes,’ and how the Admiralty forced new laws through Parliament that ultimately defeated them.
This rollicking account of the golden age of piracy is packed with vivid history and high seas adventure. David Cordingly, an acclaimed expert on pirates, reveals the spellbinding truth behind the legends of Blackbeard, Captain Kidd, Sir Francis Drake, the fierce female brigands Mary Read and Anne Bonny, and others who rode and robbed upon the world’s most dangerous waters. Here, in thrilling detail, are the weapons they used, the ships they sailed, and the ways they fought—and were defeated. 
In the early eighteenth century, the Pirate Republic was home to some of the great pirate captains, including Blackbeard, “Black Sam” Bellamy, and Charles Vane. Along with their fellow pirates—former sailors, indentured servants, and runaway slaves—this “Flying Gang” established a crude but distinctive democracy in the Bahamas, carving out their own zone of freedom in which servants were free, blacks could be equal citizens, and leaders were chosen or deposed by a vote. They cut off trade routes, sacked slave ships, and severed Europe from its New World empires, and for a brief, glorious period the Republic was a success.
The term quartermaster can be confusing, as the meaning can vary according to the context. The quartermaster on a naval vessel stood watch next to the helmsman and was responsible for maintaining the ship’s course, whereas in armies on land, a quartermaster was an officer who supervised logistics and requisitions, managed the stores and barracks, and distributed supplies and provisions. A pirate quartermaster had numerous, less well defined responsibilities, which could vary from ship to ship.