Richard Blakemore

Richard Blakemore has studied pirates for over a decade, from his Cambridge Ph.D to his role as Associate Professor in Social and Maritime History at the University of Reading, where he teaches the most popular module, ‘Pirates of the Caribbean: Empire, Slavery, and Society, 1550-1750’. He has been a consultant for the National Maritime Museum; appeared on local and national BBC radio; on Channel 5’s Great British Ships; produced two series of podcasts; and written for blogs and magazines such as History Today. 

Current publication:

ENEMIES OF ALL: The Rise and Fall of Pirates (The History Press, 2024) 

You know what a pirate is. You know how they dress, how they speak. If you think of the word ‘pirate’, you most probably think of black flags and peg legs, cutlasses and cannon, walking the plank and buried treasure. These stereotypes are familiar and entertaining, but they aren’t the whole truth.

Or, perhaps, they were never true at all.

From their origins and identities to their everyday lives and exploits, Enemies of All is a voyage of discovery that investigates piracy’s incredible, and often unrecognised, impact on history. Socially, economically and politically, pirates moulded European empires as they rose to global power in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. They shaped our modern world and left behind troubling legacies.

You will never see pirates in the same way again.

Praise:

‘A riveting new history of aquatic ambushes, from the 1600s to today.’ - The Economist

‘Compelling maritime history.’ - Kirkus Reviews

‘Bursting with rich detail and swashbuckling narratives, Enemies of All offers a rich and detailed history of Atlantic piracy that is as engaging as it is well researched. Finally an accessible history of Atlantic piracy that puts the facts before the myths!’ -  Dr David Wilson, Founder of The Problem of Piracy Network

‘A rollicking and fresh account of the Golden Age of Piracy! Blakemore has added an essential new work to the field of pirate history.’ - Dr Rebecca Simon