A friend of mine is writing a book... about pirates. Thus I have been sucked into researching what life was like as a Pirate. I expected to be bored by the entire subject, but the first book I picked up was this one and I was hooked! What an amazing and adventurous life Dampier led, and this book tells the tale. A pirate, a scholar, a captain, an explorer, a discoverer Dampier has a wonderful life to share. I am now going to read five or six other books that I ordered (all references in Dampier's book) about pirates. I loved it! The language is spectacular, and I felt like I was there through it all.