Cultural Writing. From the 16th to the 19th century, Moslem corsairs from the Barbary Coast ravaged European shipping and enslaved thousands, while thousands of Europeans converted to Islam and joined the pirate "holy war". In this book, Wilson focuses on the corsairs' most impressive accomplishment, the 17th century independent Pirate Republic of Sale in Morocco.

Here, Wilson explores insurrectionary communities through the characters of a diverse population; characters including corsairs, slaves, adventurers, Irish rebels, heretical Jews, British spies, "irresistible" Moorish women, and even a Moorish pirate in old New York. Through these characters, "Wilson shows why we cherish pirates - and why, for the sake of the future, we must continue to do so" - Marcus Rediker, author of Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea.