Black Flags, Blue Waters: The Epic History of America's Most Notorious Pirates

Dolin (Leviathan: The History of Whaling in America) looks at the real-life adventures of the pirates who operated off the North American coast in the late 1600s. The British North American colonies were frequently willing to support piracy as a way to resist the Crown quietly. Pirates provided much-needed infusions of cash and goods into the colonial economy and often had close community ties through marriage and family. Colonial officials were not averse to accepting or extorting bribes from pirates. Dolin also includes informative tales and anecdotes of famous pirates, including sadistic Edward Low and Blackbeard, while setting listeners straight on pirate myth: pirates did not send victims to walk the plank; they wanted to spend their booty not bury it; they preferred not to fight; and African slaves sometimes served as crew and shared in the spoils. In the early 1700s, the East India Company pressured the British government into cracking down on piracy, and the practice faded in North America. Narrator Paul Brion delivers a solid performance.