Despite what countless buccaneering books and movies may suggest, never has there been a universal Pirate Code to bind the merry (and mean) marauders of seafaring history. In fact there have been many “codes,” and drawing out their common elements into a single concept is no easy task. The Pirate Code is the first book to bring together thousands of years of pirating traditions in a clear and authoritative manner. Chronicling the rules and realities of pirates’ shipboard life through the ages, Brenda Ralph Lewis explores what “honor among thieves” has really meant—whether for the pirates of the ancient Aegean, the seventeenth-century Brethren of the Coast who inspired the Pirates of the Caribbean movies, or modern-day pirates on the Indian Ocean and the South China Sea. Lavishly illustrated and engagingly written, this book is a must for all serious devotees of pirate lore.