Angus Konstam

Although born in Aberdeen, historian Angus Konstam was raised in Orkney. He started a naval scholarship in 1978, studying at the Royal Naval College in Dartmouth, and history at Aberdeen University. In 1983 he left the navy to study underwater archaeology at St Andrews University, combining his interests in both history and diving. Later jobs included Curator at the Tower of London, and a maritime museum in Key West, Florida.

Since 1999 he has been a full-time writer, and moved back to the UK in 2001 to pursue this career. He is the author of over 50 books; initially writing about Peter the Great for Osprey Military History. Preparing an exhibition on pirates for the Mel Fisher Maritime Museum in Florida laid the foundations for his first major book, Pirates! : Pirates and Piracy of the Americas (1997), and later books on pirating for Osprey. The History of Pirates, first published in New York in 1999, has sold over 65,000 copies, and he is has written over 30 books for Osprey.

In 2003 Angus Konstam settled in Edinburgh. Many of his books are published by American companies, and not all are available in the UK. He is secretary of the Society of Authors in Scotland, and his most recent book is There Was A Soldier. A more extensive biography can be found on Angus Konstam’s website.