A review by rschmidt7
Pirates of Barbary: Corsairs, Conquests and Captivity in the Seventeenth-Century Mediterranean by Adrian Tinniswood

4.0

Should have been titled "England vs. Barbary" instead, or even "1600s English Diplomacy on the African Coast," though I'm guessing that would have sold fewer copies. Still, overall, it was a fascinating and highly informative book about an often overlooked period in history. Tinniswood, the author, clearly has an overarching thesis - that the Barbary pirates are not regarded as roguish antiheroes like the Caribbean pirates, because Barbary is a land of nonwhite Muslims and therefore, has no Romantic appeal to Europeans - but he never belabors the point. Good book if you are interested in pirates, but be aware, a substantial portion of the book focuses on English maritime diplomacy.