Prepare yourself for the truth behind the pirate legends and lies! Want to know how to talk like a pirate? Hear about the disgusting details of death by a thousand cuts? Know who hacked off his own ears and fed them to his enemy?

Even though dead men tell no tales, The Scholastic Handbook of Pirates will tell you everything you need to know about pirates: all the gore and more!

This lively guide reveals the truth about pirate names, flags, buried treasure, the pirate "code," loot, weapons, slang, women pirates, scurvy knaves, swabbies, landlubbers, and the myriad myths surrounding what and who pirates really were. With light-hearted illustrations and clever text, this handbook rules the seas among pirate books. You can actually pack it in your pocket!