This book examines the concept of piracy as an instrument for the advancement of legal, economic, and political agendas associated with early modern imperial conflicts in the Caribbean.

Mariana Cecilia Velázquez received her PhD in Latin American and Iberian Cultures from Columbia University. She is a Professor in the Department of World Languages and Literatures at the University of Nevada-Reno. Her research focuses on the early modern transatlantic relations and colonial piracy in Spain, England, and the Caribbean.

Introduction: Reading Piracy between the Lines 1. Navigating Conflicting Waters: Francis Drake's Circumnavigation (1577-1580) 2. Setting Sails to the Narrative of Piracy: Francis Drake's Caribbean Raid (1585-1586) 3. Dangerous Representations of the Caribbean in the Sixteenth Century 4. Dropping Anchor: Francis Drake's Three Deaths and the Beginnings of an End 5. The Changing Winds of Piracy (1570-1604) 6. The Aftermath: The Emergence of New Models of Piracy in the Caribbean: Buccaneers and Freebooters (Conclusion)