Looking for epic swashbuckling adventures on the high seas? If so, then here are the best pirate books to pick up! This list includes some of the best pirate books for adults and pirate books for children, including classics, romance, and more. So check them out to find your next adventure read!
1. Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson
When looking for the best books about pirates, there’s no more iconic book to pick up than Treasure Island! This is one of the best adventure books of all time, and even though it’s technically a children’s book, adults are sure to love it as well!
Jim Hawkins lives at the Admiral Benbow Inn in England, where things start to get exciting very quickly when an old sailor named Billy Bones comes to visit and trouble follows. When an attack on the inn takes place, Jim and his mother escape with a little money and a mysterious packet from Bones’ sea chest…which contains a map of where the infamous pirate Captain Flint hid his treasure! This sets into motion an epic tale of buccaneers and buried gold, which brings us perhaps the most infamous pirate of all time—Long John Silver! And in the end, will Jim be able to find the treasure? Or will he be kept from his goal by pirates along the way?
This is one of the best fiction books about pirates, so if you haven’t read it before then now is the time to pick it up!
2. The Princess Bride by William Goldman
Speaking of books with iconic pirates, The Princess Bride;is another of the best books with pirates that you should definitely add to your list! It’s perfect for when you want to read a slightly humorous tale of true love and high adventure!
This epic tale is a “just the good parts” story filled with fencing, fighting, true love, revenge, giants, miracles, and of course pirates! It follows the plight of the beautiful Buttercup, who is engaged to the awful Prince Humperdinck…will she be able to escape being forced to marry him? And as the tale gives us the feared Dread Pirate Roberts, it definitely belongs on this list of good pirate books that you’ll love to read!
3. Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie
Another of the best pirate fantasy novels is the classic book Peter Pan, which has of course been turned into the popular Disney movie. But it’s also one of the best short classics, and deserves it’s place on this list because of the legendary pirate Captain Hook!
In this tale, the mysterious Peter Pan visits the Darling children (Wendy, John, and Michael) in their home in London. When Peter asks Wendy to go to Neverland with him, she and the boys agree to come along and Peter teaches them how to fly so they can all fly to Neverland. This is only the beginning of their journey to a strange new land filled with fairies, adventures, and pirates…and one pirate in particular, Peter’s nemesis, the great Captain Hook!
If you loved any version of the Peter Pan films, plays, etc., or are just curious about this classic children’s story and the origins of one of the most infamous pirates in popular culture, then this is a great short book to read and enjoy!
4. Captain Blood by Rafael Sabatini
If you’re looking for classic pirate books to read, then Captain Blood is one pirate book that should be at the top of your TBR pile!
In the 1680s, Peter Blood is a physician and former soldier now happily settled in Somerset, England. But when the Monmouth Rebellion sends an injured rebel into his path, Peter Blood is soon wrongfully convicted of treason for saving the rebel’s live and is sold into slavery in the Caribbean…where he meets and falls in love with the daughter of the man who owns him. But soon he is able to escape, and he and his fellow convicts sail off to become the most fearless pirates in all the land! Will Captain Blood be able to triumph over his enemies? And in the end, will he be able to be with the woman he loves?
This swashbuckling tale is filled with adventure and a dash of romance, and is sure to be an exciting piratical read for anyone who loves the high seas!
5. A General History of the Pyrates by Daniel Defoe
There are lots of good pirate novels, but books on pirates can also take the form of pirate histories from real life. And that’s exactly what A General History of the Pyrates is!
This book features an exciting blend of fact and fiction, and is one of the major sources of information about piracy in the first part of the 18th century (thanks to Defoe’s knowledge of maritime affairs and his journalism background that allowed him to interview surviving pirates). It follows the tales of famous outlaws, their adventures, and their bloody deeds…including big names such as Blackbeard, Captain Kidd, Bartholomew Roberts, and Anne Bonny!
If you’re interested in real-life tales about pirates, this is definitely a book you should pick up and enjoy!
6. Beauvallet by Georgette Heyer
Looking for pirate romance books? If so, Beauvallet is a classic romance that you will love!
It’s 1586, and Sir Nicholas Beauvallet (“Mad Nicholas” to his friends, “Scourge of Spain” to his enemies) has been granted the blessing of the queen to sail the seas and plunder any Spanish ships that come his way. Meanwhile, Doña Dominica de Rada y Sylva, a Spain heiress, is returning to Spain with her father and is horrified when their galleon is set upon by pirates! And not just any pirate—the notorious Sir Nicholas Beauvallet! But when Beauvallet falls in love with the beautiful heiress, he sets her and her father safely on the shores of Spain and vows to return when he can to claim her as his bride! Will he be able to succeed, despite the price on his head on Spanish shores?
7. Swallows and Amazonsby Arthur Ransome
And last but not least, any list of great pirate stories wouldn’t be complete without one of the best classic children’s books Swallows and Amazons!
In this tale, the Walker Children are visiting the Lake District and sailing a boat named “Swallow” when they meet another set of children called the Blacketts who are also sailing their boat (“Amazon”) on the lake. Together, they band together to hatch a plot against the Blackett’s Uncle Jim who is busy writing his memoirs and does not want to be disturbed. Calling Uncle Jim “Captain Flint”, the children launch a campaign filled with play and piracy and all sorts of dangerous and crazy hijinks…from fireworks, to a run-in with houseboat burglars, and even the theft of Uncle Jim’s prized manuscript!
If you’re looking for a book with adventures and playful imaginings of pirates, this is the classic book to choose. Even though it’s a children’s book, it is sure to be a hit with a wide range of ages and you will love it too!