Legendary Pirates

*Includes historic illustrations of Every and important people, places, and events in his life.

*Includes a profile of Every from the famous English pirate history "A General History of the Pyrates."

*Discusses common legends about Every and his career.

*Includes a Bibliography for further reading. "NONE of these bold Adventurers were ever so much talked of, for a while, as Avery; he made as great a Noise in the World as Meriveis does now, and was looked upon to be a Person of as great Consequence." - Captain Charles Johnson, A General History of the Robberies and Murders of the most notorious Pyrates

The people who have lived outside the boundaries of normal societies and refused to play by the rules have long fascinated the world, and nowhere is this more evident than the continuing interest in the pirates of centuries past. As the subjects of books, movies, and even theme park rides, people continue to let their imaginations go when it comes to pirates, with buried treasure, parrots, and walking the plank all ingrained in pop culture's perception of them. Charles River Editors' Legendary Pirates series covers the lives, piracy, legends, myths, and legacies of history's most famous pirates.

The Golden Age of Piracy generally refers to the era when history's most famous pirates roamed the seas of the West Indies from 1670-1720, engaging in colorfully daring and oftentimes murderous attacks on any ship they felt emboldened enough to take on. And it is no coincidence that while the end of the Golden Age was marked by the death of Blackbeard, the beginning of it was marked by the rise of Henry Every.

Though Every is no longer as well-remembered as the likes of Blackbeard or Black Bart, in his day he was the "King of Pirates," and he is recognized as blazing the trail and setting the gold standard for the pirates that followed him. In addition to popularizing the famous skull and crossbones logo that would become the most famous pirate flag, Every conducted what is considered the most profitable pirate raid in history, leading to what is considered the first worldwide manhunt in history when the English put a large bounty on his head.

As amazing as Every's pirate career was, the most incredible part about it was that he survived it. In fact, Every's one of the few famous pirates to ever actually retire, or at least so it's believed. A year after conducting the raid that netted him over half a million pounds, Every dropped off the historical record, and while speculation swirls as to what actually became of him, what is known is that he never met his fate at the hands of English authorities or any of the other sworn enemies he had made during his piracy.

Legendary Pirates: The Life and Legacy of Henry Every looks at the life and legends of the famous pirate, attempting to separate fact from fiction while analyzing his lasting legacy. Along with pictures depicting Every and important people, places, and events in his life, you will learn about the famous pirate like you never have before, in no time at all.