Please note that the content of this book primarily consists of articles available from Wikipedia or other free sources online. Captain Hook, Captain Jack Sparrow, the Pirates of Treasure Island, Pirates are a popular theme in western culture. But what of the real pirates? Though piracy does not, today, present a threat of the same magnitude as in centuries past. Pirates are and have been for centuries, a reality of the seas. This book traces the history of piracy through time, considering pirates around the world as well as the role of piracy in popular culture. Project Webster represents a new publishing paradigm, allowing disparate content sources to be curated into cohesive, relevant, and informative books. To date, this content has been curated from Wikipedia articles and images under Creative Commons licensing, although as Project Webster continues to increase in scope and dimension, more licensed and public domain content is being added. We believe books such as this represent a new and exciting lexicon in the sharing of human knowledge.