For the first time, and long awaited, we have the view from the gun deck of the wide world that opened to the Elizabethans on the Spanish Main and among the islands of the Caribbean. The tang of salt air stings the story. So does fearsome reality, the diseases and storms that wreaked havoc on sailors and ships alike and, more often than not, ruined the ambitions of many a financier. With the seapower of Imperial Spain still dominant, England's private adventurers could "singe the beards" of the haughty Spaniards but wherever possible still evaded Iberian naval firepower and the dreaded Inquisition. Tropics Bound, rich in documentary research, reveals in triumph and failure the lives of privateers who deserve to be remembered - of wealth acquired, of health forsaken, and of risks so often surprisingly achieved.' JAMES SEAY DEAN is Emeritus Professor of English & Humanities at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside. He has taught maritime history and published numerous articles in nautical, literary and historical journals. He is also an experienced sailor and is the author of Sailing a Square-Rigger. He lives in Racine, Wisconsin.