These extraordinary stories of 144 pirates throughout history include Norman privateers, Barbary Corsairs, Elizabethan adventurers, Chinese pirates, "the Brethren of the coast," and of course, the pirates of the Caribbean. Beginning with the 9th-century "Shield Maiden" pirate Alfhild and ending with Mohamed Abdi Hassan (b.c.1990)--"Afweyne" (Big Mouth) who ransomed supertankers for tens of millions of dollars, this is an exciting narrative of a millennium of blood and treasure.