Stuart Jeffries

Henry Avery, the pirate king of Madagascar

David Graeber imagines the 17th-century buccaneer establishing an enlightened kingdom in the Indian Ocean where all goods were held in common

King of the pirates, Henry Avery. The Mughal treasure he stole was never recovered, nor was he ever brought to justice. [Bridgeman Images]

  • Pirate Enlightenment, or the Real Libertalia

    David Graeber

    Allen Lane, pp. 208, £18

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