These volumes chronicle the real-life swashbuckling corsairs of the Caribbean immortalized in film by Disney and Johnny Depp. Naval historian Marley, who also authored Pirates and Privateers of the Americas (1994), surveys the larger-than-life characters such as William Kidd, Henry Morgan, and the French buccaneers of Hispaniola’s Tortuga Island in an effort to separate myth from reality. The intended audience is the student or scholar seeking information on the golden age of piracy in the Caribbean basin, from 1650 to 1725. The work spans the age of the infamous buccaneers in two volumes covering 1650–1685 and 1686–1725, respectively. Each volume begins with a full list of entries and a brief preface for the era considered. More than 500 alphabetically arranged entries deal with a litany of topics including individual pirates, naval officials, ships, and pirate bases. Many entries end with see also terms for cross-referencing and references for further reading. Also found in each volume are a number of fascinating documents including letters of reprisals, marque, commissions, and resolutions dealing with pirates. A chronology and bibliography for each era under consideration, along with a glossary and a comprehensive index, round out the work. Through interesting and concisely written portraits, Marley provides readers with insight into an often-misunderstood historical subject. Although one would like more maps and images of such colorful characters, this work, exhaustive in its coverage and extensive in its scope, is recommended for Atlantic history and eighteenth-century studies collections in academic libraries and for public libraries where the topic is of interest. --Brian Odom 

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