In the wake of the buccaneers

The author explores the Caribbean Sea and its coastal towns as backdrop for the buccaneers' exploits, combining travel description with historical narrative. He recounts voyages, raids, and everyday maritime life while portraying buccaneers as both brutal and audacious, noting their codes of conduct and the variety of motives that led men to the sea. Chapters mix vivid island and port descriptions, historical sketches of attacks and defenses, and analysis of the social and economic forces behind privateering. The text is supplemented by the author's drawings, photographs, and period engravings that illustrate both narrative episodes and documentary passages.