The Best Maritime History & Piracy Books 2025

1. Raiders and Rebels: The Golden Age of Piracy, (Paperback)

\"A dramatic tale. . . . Sherry brings the pirates vividly to life with his rousing telling of their daring cruises and outrageous feats. . . . I heartily recommend Raiders and Rebels to anyone who enjoys history, a tale of high adventure, the drama of human psychology, or just a rousing sea story.\" -- Oceans magazine The most authoritative history of piracy, Frank Sherry's rich and colorful account reveals the rise and fall of the real \"raiders and rebels\" who terrorized the seas. From 1692 to 1725 pirates sailed the oceans of the world, plundering ships laden with the riches of India, Africa, South America, and the Caribbean. Often portrayed as larger-than-life characters, these outlaw figures and their bloodthirsty exploits have long been immortalized in fiction and film. But beneath the legends is the true story of these brigands--often common men and women escaping the social and economic restrictions of 18th-century Europe and America. Their activities threatened the beginnings of world trade and jeopardized the security of empires. And together, the author argues, they fashioned a surprisingly democratic society powerful enough to defy the world.

Raiders and Rebels: The Golden Age of Piracy, (Paperback) Author: Harper Perennial ISBN: 9780061572845 Format: Paperback Publication Date: 2008-07-01 Page Count: 400

2. 1812 : The Navy's War (Paperback)

At the outbreak of the War of 1812, America's prospects looked dismal. It was clear that the primary battlefield would be the open ocean -- but America's war fleet, only twenty ships strong, faced a practiced British navy of more than a thousand men-of-war. Still, through a combination of nautical deftness and sheer bravado, the American navy managed to take the fight to the British and turn the tide of the war: on the Great Lakes, in the Atlantic, and even in the eastern Pacific. In 1812: The Navy's War, prizewinning historian George C. Daughan tells the thrilling story of how a handful of heroic captains and their stalwart crews overcame spectacular odds to lead the country to victory against the world's greatest imperial power. A stunning contribution to military and national history, 1812: The Navy's War is the first complete account in more than a century of how the U.S. Navy rescued the fledgling nation and secured America's future.

At the outbreak of the War of 1812, America's prospects looked dismal. It was clear that the primary battlefield would be the open ocean -- but America's war fleet, only twenty ships strong, faced a practiced British navy of more than a thousand men-of-war. Still, through a combination of nautical deftness and sheer bravado, the American navy managed to take the fight to the British and turn the tide of the war: on the Great Lakes, in the Atlantic, and even in the eastern Pacific. In 1812: The Navy's War, prizewinning historian George C. Daughan tells the thrilling story of how a handful of heroic captains and their stalwart crews overcame spectacular odds to lead the country to victory against the world's greatest imperial power. A stunning contribution to military and national history, 1812: The Navy's War is the first complete account in more than a century of how the U.S. Navy rescued the fledgling nation and secured America's future.

3. Harvest Book; Hb 350 The Chinese Opium Wars, (Paperback)

An enlightening account of a notorious period in nineteenth-century imperialism, when an effort by the Chinese government to stamp out the country's profitable opium trade resulted in a series of conflicts known as the Opium Wars. Index; illustrations and map.

Harvest Book; Hb 350 The Chinese Opium Wars, (Paperback) Author: Houghton Mifflin ISBN: 9780156170949 Format: Paperback Publication Date: 1977-04-19 Page Count: 352

4. Villains of All Nations : Atlantic Pirates in the Golden Age (Paperback)

Villains of All Nations explores the 'Golden Age' of Atlantic piracy (1716-1726) and the infamous generation whose images underlie our modern, romanticized view of pirates. Rediker introduces us to the dreaded black flag, the Jolly Roger; swashbuckling figures such as Edward Teach, better known as Blackbeard; and the unnamed, unlimbed pirate who was likely Robert Louis Stevenson's model for Long John Silver in Treasure Island. This history shows from the bottom up how sailors emerged from deadly working conditions on merchant and naval ships, turned pirate, and created a starkly different reality aboard their own ships, electing their officers, dividing their booty equitably, and maintaining a multinational social order. The real lives of this motley crew-which included cross-dressing women, people of color, and the'outcasts of all nations'-are far more compelling than contemporary myth.

Villains of All Nations explores the 'Golden Age' of Atlantic piracy (1716-1726) and the infamous generation whose images underlie our modern, romanticized view of pirates. Rediker introduces us to the dreaded black flag, the Jolly Roger; swashbuckling figures such as Edward Teach, better known as Blackbeard; and the unnamed, unlimbed pirate who was likely Robert Louis Stevenson's model for Long John Silver in Treasure Island. This history shows from the bottom up how sailors emerged from deadly working conditions on merchant and naval ships, turned pirate, and created a starkly different reality aboard their own ships, electing their officers, dividing their booty equitably, and maintaining a multinational social order. The real lives of this motley crew-which included cross-dressing women, people of color, and the'outcasts of all nations'-are far more compelling than contemporary myth.

5. War, Nationalism, and the British Sailor, 1750-1850, (Hardcover)

Although there have been military, social, and labor histories examining sailors, this book employs the methods of cultural history to systematically integrate Jack Tar, the common seaman, into larger narratives about British national identity. If, as it has been argued, "Britishness" was defined in terms of one's contribution to military efforts, why did sailors experience so much difficulty winning acceptance as Britons? Why was that acceptance delayed until the mid-nineteenth century? In pursuit of this aim, Land develops a new approach to sailors that moves beyond earlier historical work on maritime culture.

War, Nationalism, and the British Sailor, 1750-1850, (Hardcover) Author: Palgrave MacMillan ISBN: 9780230615915 Format: Hardcover Publication Date: 2009-10-12 Page Count: 244

6. Surface and Destroy: The Submarine Gun War in the Pacific (Hardcover)

World War II submariners rarely experienced anything as exhilarating or horrifying as the surface gun attack. Between the ocean floor and the rolling whitecaps above, submarines patrolled a dark abyss in a fusion of silence, shadows, and steel, firing around eleven thousand torpedoes, sinking Japanese men-of-war and more than one thousand merchant ships. But the anonymity and simplicity of the stealthy torpedo attack hid the savagery of warfare -- a stark difference from the brutality of the surface gun maneuver. As the submarine shot through the surface of the water, confined sailors scrambled through the hatches armed with large-caliber guns and met the enemy face-to-face. Surface and Destroy: The Submarine Gun War in the Pacific reveals the nature of submarine warfare in the Pacific Ocean during World War II and investigates the challenges of facing the enemy on the surface. The surface battle amplified the realities of war, bringing submariners into close contact with survivors and potential prisoners of war. As Japan's larger ships disappeared from the Pacific theater, American submarines turned their attention to smaller craft such as patrol boats, schooners, sampans, and junks. Some officers refused to attack enemy vessels of questionable value, while others attacked reluctantly and tried to minimize casualties. Michael Sturma focuses on the submariners' reactions and attitudes toward their victims, exploring the sailors' personal standards of morality and their ability to wage total war. Surface and Destroy is a thorough analysis of the submariner experience and the effects of surface attacks on the war in the Pacific, offering a compelling study of the battles that became "intolerably personal."

Surface and Destroy: The Submarine Gun War in the Pacific (Hardcover)

7. Brilliant Beacons: A History of the American Lighthouse (Hardcover)

Set against the backdrop of an expanding nation, Brilliant Beacons traces the evolution of America's lighthouse system from its earliest days, highlighting the political, military, and technological battles fought to illuminate the nation's hardscrabble coastlines. Beginning with "Boston Light," America's first lighthouse, Dolin shows how the story of America, from colony to regional backwater, to fledging nation, and eventually to global industrial power, can be illustrated through its lighthouses. Even in the colonial era, the question of how best to solve the collective problem of lighting our ports, reefs, and coasts through a patchwork of private interests and independent localities telegraphed the great American debate over federalism and the role of a centralized government. As the nation expanded, throughout the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, so too did the coastlines in need of illumination, from New England to the Gulf of Mexico, the Great Lakes, the Pacific Coast all the way to Alaska. In Dolin's hands we see how each of these beacons tell its own story of political squabbling, technological advancement, engineering marvel, and individual derring-do. In rollicking detail, Dolin treats readers to a memorable cast of characters, from the penny-pinching Treasury official Stephen Pleasonton, who hamstrung the country's efforts to adopt the revolutionary Fresnel lens, to the indomitable Katherine Walker, who presided so heroically over New York Harbor as keeper at Robbins Reef Lighthouse that she was hailed as a genuine New York City folk hero upon her death in 1931. He also animates American military history from the Revolution to the Civil War and presents tales both humorous and harrowing of soldiers, saboteurs, Civil War battles, ruthless egg collectors, and, most important, the lighthouse keepers themselves, men and women who often performed astonishing acts of heroism in carrying out their duties. In the modern world of GPS and satellite-monitored shipping lanes, Brilliant Beacons forms a poignant elegy for the bygone days of the lighthouse, a symbol of American ingenuity that served as both a warning and a sign of hope for generations of mariners; and it also shows how these sentinels have endured, retaining their vibrancy to the present day. Containing over 150 photographs and illustrations, Brilliant Beacons vividly reframes America's history.

Brilliant Beacons: A History of the American Lighthouse (Hardcover)

8. Chicago Maritime : An Illustrated History (Hardcover)

This lavishly illustrated history of Chicago as freight handler to the nation chronicles the vital role of waterborne trade and transportation in building a metropolis on the swampland that the Illiniwek once called Checagou. Louis Jolliet, the first European explorer to the area, recognized that a waterway between the Great Lakes and the Mississippi River could link the Atlantic and the Gulf of Mexico, making Checagou the fulcrum of east-west and north-south transportation for the continent. Upon completion of the I&M Canal in 1848, Chicago quickly became one of the busiest ports in the world, attracting thousands of schooners, barks, sloops, and paddle-wheel steamships. More than 100 illustrations and maps—along with tales of majestic sailing ships, piracy, terrible storms, and tragic shipwrecks—portray the eventful history of Chicago's waterways. Young describes the reversal of the Chicago River, which helped to clean the city and flood it with new life. Chicago flourished as a port of entry to the West and transportation hub, despite the disastrous Great Fire of 1871 that destroyed much of the city, including the docks and ships moored along the Chicago River. Marine disasters took their toll, too, as when the Eastland capsized in 1915, drowning nearly 900 passengers. Through narratives by two famous travelers of Chicago's waterways, Charles Dickens and Abraham Lincoln, Young reveals the hardships and small comforts of lake and river travel in its heyday. He also tells of Chicago's marine traditions, such as the eagerly anticipated arrival of ships bearing Christmas trees that drew holiday crowds to the docks each year. Today, giant car ferries and enormous ore carriers larger than battleships ply the lakes alongside luxury yachts, while the rivers that feed Chicago—and allow Chicago to feed the world—are still lively with traffic. Chicago's geographic advantages, which allowed it to eclipse competitors in the age of sail and steam, assure that it will remain a vital center for American transportation and commerce in the twenty-first century.

This lavishly illustrated history of Chicago as freight handler to the nation chronicles the vital role of waterborne trade and transportation in building a metropolis on the swampland that the Illiniwek once called Checagou. Louis Jolliet, the first European explorer to the area, recognized that a waterway between the Great Lakes and the Mississippi River could link the Atlantic and the Gulf of Mexico, making Checagou the fulcrum of east-west and north-south transportation for the continent. Upon completion of the I&M Canal in 1848, Chicago quickly became one of the busiest ports in the world, attracting thousands of schooners, barks, sloops, and paddle-wheel steamships. More than 100 illustrations and maps—along with tales of majestic sailing ships, piracy, terrible storms, and tragic shipwrecks—portray the eventful history of Chicago's waterways. Young describes the reversal of the Chicago River, which helped to clean the city and flood it with new life. Chicago flourished as a port of entry to the West and transportation hub, despite the disastrous Great Fire of 1871 that destroyed much of the city, including the docks and ships moored along the Chicago River. Marine disasters took their toll, too, as when the Eastland capsized in 1915, drowning nearly 900 passengers. Through narratives by two famous travelers of Chicago's waterways, Charles Dickens and Abraham Lincoln, Young reveals the hardships and small comforts of lake and river travel in its heyday. He also tells of Chicago's marine traditions, such as the eagerly anticipated arrival of ships bearing Christmas trees that drew holiday crowds to the docks each year. Today, giant car ferries and enormous ore carriers larger than battleships ply the lakes alongside luxury yachts, while the rivers that feed Chicago—and allow Chicago to feed the world—are still lively with traffic. Chicago's geographic advantages, which allowed it to eclipse competitors in the age of sail and steam, assure that it will remain a vital center for American transportation and commerce in the twenty-first century.

9. Dutch Moment: War, Trade, and Settlement in the Seventeenth-Century Atlantic World (Hardcover)

The author draws on a dazzling variety of archival and printed sources.... The Dutch Moment is a signal contribution to the field.―Renaissance Quarterly In The Dutch Moment, Wim Klooster shows how the Dutch built and eventually lost an Atlantic empire that stretched from the homeland in the United Provinces to the Hudson River and from Brazil and the Caribbean to the African Gold Coast. The fleets and armies that fought for the Dutch in the decades-long war against Spain included numerous foreigners, largely drawn from countries in northwestern Europe. Likewise, many settlers of Dutch colonies were born in other parts of Europe or the New World. The Dutch would not have been able to achieve military victories without the native alliances they carefully cultivated. Indeed, the Dutch Atlantic was quintessentially interimperial, multinational, and multiracial. At the same time, it was an empire entirely designed to benefit the United Provinces. The pivotal colony in the Dutch Atlantic was Brazil, half of which was conquered by the Dutch West India Company. Its brief lifespan notwithstanding, Dutch Brazil (1630-1654) had a lasting impact on the Atlantic world. The scope of Dutch warfare in Brazil is hard to overestimate--this was the largest interimperial conflict of the seventeenth-century Atlantic. Brazil launched the Dutch into the transatlantic slave trade, a business they soon dominated. At the same time, Dutch Brazil paved the way for a Jewish life in freedom in the Americas after the first American synagogues opened their doors in Recife. In the end, the entire colony eventually reverted to Portuguese rule, in part because Dutch soldiers, plagued by perennial poverty, famine, and misery, refused to take up arms. As they did elsewhere, the Dutch lost a crucial colony because of the empire's systematic neglect of the very soldiers on whom its defenses rested. After the loss of Brazil and, ten years later, New Netherland, the Dutch scaled back their political ambitions in the Atlantic world. Their American colonies barely survived wars with England and France. As the imperial dimension waned, the interimperial dimension gained strength. Dutch commerce with residents of foreign empires thrived in a process of constant adaptation to foreign settlers' needs and mercantilist obstacles.

Dutch Moment: War, Trade, and Settlement in the Seventeenth-Century Atlantic World (Hardcover)