Pirates may have been searching for gold, silver, jewels, and rum while plundering ships, but they were also on the lookout for something that was just as valuable: maps. When the world was still unknown maps were extremly important. They could help you find safe harbors for storms, resuppling fresh water and provisions, merchant shipping routs and other important information that was necessary for survival.
National Geographic describes one particular stolen Spanish atlas from 1680 as “extremely valuable pirate booty” that “overjoyed” pirates when they seized it, according to their detailed journals. The manuscript was filled with precious navigational information including maps, charts, and descriptions of different places. It was so valuable that pirate Bartholomew Sharpe printed a colorful English version of it and presented it to the king of England—a gift that may have saved him from execution.
Some members of pirate crews were literate which was essential for reading navigational charts mentioned above, so books were even sometimes part of the booty taken from ships that the pirates pilfered.
Imagine yourself on a sailing ship for a moment. What would you do with your day when you were not raising or lowering sails, mending things, or raiding other ships? Why not read? Your other shipmates would love to have you read to them to pass the time, so books were an important part of captured booty for many pirates.