Alexandre Olivier Exquemelin

Also known as John Esquemeling, Alexandre Olivier Exquemelin is the author of "The Buccaneers of America." The book is considered one of the most important documentations of 17th century piracy. It was translated into several language after its original Dutch publication in 1678 and was based on eye-witness accounts by Esquemeling, himself, as he had served as pirate in the West Indies for a time.

The Library of Congress notes "Exquemelin provides fascinating details of the French presence in Hispaniola (now Haiti and the Dominican Republic), describes the features of that country and its inhabitants, and comments at length on the origin of the buccaneers, vividly recounting their rules of conduct and way of life. [The accounts of] bold plunderers come across as shrewd strategists, crack shots, fine navigators, wild debauchers, and greedy adventurers who frequently engaged in vicious acts of cruelty."