Most histories of piracy start with the Caribbean in the 1500s and move on to the'golden age' from the 1660s to the 1720s, with chapters on the Barbary corsairs, Chinese piracy and a brief look at modern piracy. These areas cannot be overlooked, but Pirates: A History is a comprehensive history of piracy, starting with the ancient and classical periods, then shifting to the Middle Ages and the Mediterranean, before treating the more traditional areas of the Caribbean, the'golden age' of piracy in the west, the Barbary corsairs, Chinese and Eastern piracy, and finally modern piracy.