Includes bibliographical references (p. 96).

Introduction -- A case of cold feet?: Alvida -- Terror with red beards: the Barbarossa brothers -- Also an excellent hostess: Lady Mary Killigrew -- My grandma is a pirate: Grace O'Malley -- The dragon: Sir Francis Drake -- Worried about his reputation: Sir Henry Morgan -- I swear I am not a pirate: Captain Kidd -- The pirate who kept a diary: William Dampier -- Just plain terrifying: Blackbeard -- A red feather in his hat: Black Bart -- Breaking every rule: Mary Read and Anne Bonny -- Least likely to be a pirate: Stede Bonnet -- A ruby as big as a hen's egg: Black Sam Bellamy -- Half a century of harassment: Conajee Angira and his sons -- Not a damsel in distress: Rachel Wall -- Necklaces of severed heads: Madame Cheng -- Witty in three languages: Jean Laffite -- The Black Joke: Benito De Soto -- Not a real pirate: Long John Silver.

Profiles twenty notable pirates throughout history and describes their adventures, the battles they fought, and the riches and cultural legacies they left behind.