The Dread Pyrate Roberts

Those of you who are familiar with the story of the Princess Bride will no doubt recall the name of the Dread Pirate Roberts. He is a swashbuckling rogue who is actually the hero in disguise. But did you know that there really was a Dread Pyrate Roberts? He was actually the most successful pirate of all time, having captured more than 400 ships in less than five years.

I found out about this through a show on the History Channel this month called "True Pirates of the Caribbean". I can easily recommend it. History comes alive.

Here is the article from Wikipedia:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bartholomew_Roberts

And here is a site that documents his journeys:

http://www.bartholomewroberts.com/

Here is an excellent e-book on pirates, free for the month, care of the Gutenberg project.

http://worldebookfair.com/Members/WorldeBookLibrary/bookspirate.pdf