THE WORLD OF THE PIRATE

This thorough, lavishly illustrated entry in The World Of series focuses on pirates through the ages, providing the facts behind the legends. Garwood begins with piracy in the ancient world, then quickly moves to the main subject, the so-called ``golden age'' of piracy, from the 1500s to the early 1700s, when stricter measures against sea robbers were enforced. Covering the origins of and differences among different types—privateers, buccaneers, corsairs, etc.—Garwood also discusses their ships, weapons, equipment, and more. She does not shy away from some of the gorier aspects of piracy, treating them with the same matter-of-fact clarity as the rest of the book, which debunks myths and does not romanticize the facts. The only omission is fuller discussion of modern piracy, which is alluded to several times. Berridge employs maps, detailed close-ups, and a fascinating cutaway of a pirate ship to reinforce the text; for children fascinated by the subject, this book is as good as buried treasure. (maps, index) (Nonfiction. 8-11)