Book excerpt: "The romantic picture of pirates as colourful individuals terrorizing the "seven seas" has long eclipsed historical fact. The Pirate Encyclopedia contains the most complete body of data available on the rovers' rightful legitimacy as subjects of investigation. For the first time we see so many pirates (c. 7.000) brought together. This pirate's who's who, including the women pirates, makes it possible to see different areas and their significance and circumstances, and so the essential companion for scholars, students and a general audience intrigued by tales and facts"--