Edward Teach Blackbeard is one of the legends of the so-called golden
age of piracy. There have been so many accounts of his short, bloody
career that it is hard to see him and his times in a clear historical
light. This new study looks for the man behind the legend, and it gives
a vivid insight into the nature of piracy and the naval operations that
were launched against it.
The narrative focuses on the roles played by the Governor of Virginia
Alexander Spotswood who masterminded the pursuit of Blackbeard, and
Lieutenant Robert Maynard of HMS Pearl who led the pursuit and finally
cornered Teach and his crew and, after a vicious fight, saw him
killed.
In vivid detail it reveals how the hunt for Blackbeard was orchestrated,
how he was tracked down, and the parts played in the drama by the
larger-than-life leading characters in this extraordinary story.
This freshly researched study of the pursuit of the notorious pirate and
his crew - and of the final fight in which Blackbeard lost his life -
makes compelling reading.