Pirate bands

By Robin Rowland

Pirate bands have existed since human beings first began ocean voyages. And it seems, despite their murder, robbery and slave trading, the public's romantic view of pirates existed long before Hollywood movies.

The pirates of the Caribbean were a money-maker for an author using the penname Captain Charles Johnson when his book, A General History of Robberies and Murders of the Most Notorious Pyrates, was published in London in 1724.

The account of famous pirates such as Henry Morgan and William Kidd became an 18th century bestseller. And 200 years before that, both Christian and Muslim chroniclers told the stories of pirates from both faiths, sometimes allies, sometimes enemies, who raided across the Mediterranean in the 16th century.

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