Under the Black Flag: The Romance and Reality of Life Among the Pirates (By David Cordingly, Harcourt Brace & Company, 1995) traces piracy through its incarnations in the Mediterranean, Caribbean, and European and American coasts and explores the facts and myths surrounding a profession that most people only know from the much-romanticized "Treasure Island" and a host of similar books and movies.Only $10.40 from the Living History Bookstore (20% off the list price of $13.00). Read a full review.

Hoist the Jolly Roger and sail the into action with Captain Peter Blood, master of the Arabella. Spend your ill-gotten gains carousing in the pirate port of Tortuga. None does it better than Raphael Sabatini. As good a read today as when our grandfathers read him a half century ago. Order now before he goes out of print again.