Possibly no comparable book has provided such an overview of the lives of English sailors in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. [...] This book will be enjoyed by readers with an interest in both sociological history and maritime studies, and could act as a maritime researcher's template for how to present a well-reasoned study of the social history of English seamen at any period.

NORTHERN MARINER

Provides an expansive and much needed enquiry into the experience of English seamen in the Tudor-Stuart period. [...] This collection does a remarkable job of rescuing the life and customs of Jack Tarr in the Early Modern Age from obscurity.

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MARITIME HISTORY

This volume is an important contribution to maritime studies, not just because it focuses on a less studied period in maritime history, but also because it features the average seamen and highlights what we've learned in spite of the limited resources.

PIRATES & PRIVATEERS

Contains a lot of stimulating new work. [It] achieves its aim of summarising and assessing the current state of knowledge, and as such it is a valuable introduction to the subject. Its value to historians is obvious, but archaeologists also need to appreciate this kind of evidence.

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF NAUTICAL ARCHAEOLOGY