Dr Rebecca Simon's research and writing charts the rise and fall of pirates, from ancient times to a "golden era" spanning the 16th and 17th centuries, which, together with Treasure Island spawned a romantic Captain Jack Sparrow-eque image. Rebecca' s new book Pirate Queens: The Lives of Anne Bonny and Mary Read is a history of female piracy in the Caribbean and the Atlantic. Anne Bonny and Mary Read were infamous pirates who swore and fought with pistols and cutlasses at a time when few women rose above servitude and wifely duties. They weren't alone. Further afield, in the South China Sea, female pirate leader Ching Shih presided over a fleet of some 80,000 men. By contrast, Captain Blackbeard had a crew of three hundred. Both he and other notorious pirates make cameo appearances here. Dr Simon teaches history at Santa Monica College, and joins Kathryn from LA.