It examines the major events and personalities in the history of piracy. Antony has selected primacy sources that allow readers to examine pirates on their own terms and to reconstruct their daily lives and aspirations. Pirates in the Age of Sail also examines the role of pirates in the political, social, and economic transformations of the early modern world, with an emphasis on cultural and ethnic diversity. Robert J. Antony teaches at the University of Macau and has published two books on Chinese history: Like Froth Floating on the Sea: The World of Pirates and Seafarers in Late Imperial South China and Dragons, Tigers, and Dogs: Qing Crisis Management and the boundaries of State Power in Late Imperial China .