As a huge fan of all things pirate, I was wondering how much of what I love is based on actual history.
As a bonus, are there any good books on the subject?
We have four other questions that asked pretty much the same question, try them and see if it answers your question (I would highly recommend the second one on the list concerning the "pirate parrot"):
One of those should help - it's a popular kind of question.
Also, as for books, I would recommend looking through this list I wrote a few months back for another occasion. I think it might be just what you'll need:
My list of "Nine Broad Topic Books on Pirates".
If any of the above doesn't answer your questions, specify which ones and we will go at them from here.
hi! there's a whole section of the FAQ on pirates - check it out:
The Golden Age of Piracy, Life of a Pirate and Other Related Topics
and in the Book List:
It's honestly hard for me to remember the little details, but one very interesting book I read (in one sitting because it was that good) was The Invisible Hook by Peter Leeson. It is primarily an economic text but it has a lot of the history regarding the Golden Age of Piracy. It also gives some in-depth look at some of the more famous figures such as Blackbeard. There is also no math in it like other economic texts. It is actually a very fluid read.