The Culture of Piracy, 1580–1630

Prize: Received an honourable mention and shortlisted for the European Society for the Study of English Book Award 2012 in the Literatures in the English Language category. 'Claire Jowitt offers a highly original study of the social and cultural significance of pirates in early modern England. This is a groundbreaking study that clearly shows how piracy is culturally produced and disseminated.' Journal of Maritime Research 'Pirates are endlessly fascinating - not only as theme park attractions or on the widescreen - because their history is so central to our understanding of the early modern age. Perhaps no one brings more expertise to the subject than Claire Jowitt, whose The Culture of Piracy, 1580-1630 blends history and literature; this study not only provides new insights into the past, but also is filled with thrilling tales.' Peter C. Mancall, author of Fatal Journey: The Final Expedition of Henry Hudson: A Tale of Mutiny and Murder in the Arctic 'For those of us raised on the eye-patches, peg-legs and silly accents of Hollywood films, Claire Jowitt's study offers a forceful reminder that piracy was serious business in Renaissance England. The pirates who prowled the pages of plays and pamphlets have much to teach us about both the construction of geopolitical boundaries and the movement of people, goods and stories across them.' William H. Sherman, University of York, UK 'We think we know pirates. The mass appeal of Captain Jack Sparrow flows out of a vast reservoir of terrifying but enticing villains, leading up to Long John Silver, Captain Hook, and Captain Blood. We sometimes need to be reminded, however, that pirates also have a serious history. The meanings of these elusive icons have seldom been as rigorously pursued as in Claire Jowitt’s study. In a thorough examination of historical and literary pirates over a half-century of early modern English culture, Jowitt uncovers the political and cultural importance of these violent mariners... Jowitt