Sir Francis Drake: The Queen's Pirate

In this lively biography, Harry Kelsey shatters the legend of Sir Francis Drake. Drawing on much new evidence, he replaces the familiar image of a pious, brave, and just seaman with a more interesting picture of an amoral privateer at least as interested in lining his pockets with Spanish booty as in forwarding the political goals of his country.
“The best available life; insightful, enthralling and generally well-paced.”—Felipe Fernández-Armesto, The Independent
“Fascinating. . . . The story Kelsey tells in such detail continually holds the reader’s interest.”—P.D. James, The Sunday Times (London)
“This book smells as much of the sea as of the library: deep water and profound research. The combination is most engaging.”—Patrick O’Brian
“This scrupulously researched and calmly argued book will leave Drake’s champions little hope of restoring him to the rosy place in the English pantheon he once occupied: Kelsey’s Drake is, alas, all too plausible.”—New Yorker
“Important to scholars for its detailed findings on Drake’s early career.”—N. A. M. Rodger, New York Times Book Review
“Kelsey’s enormous research range and great detailing of Drake’s life restore reality and truth to the history of the times. A great achievement in the fields of biography and history.”—Kirkus Reviews
Harry Kelsey is a research scholar at the Huntington Library and adjunct professor of history at the University of California, Riverside.