Most non-fiction authors find additional information to include in their books after publication, especially if they work mostly in the same time period as I do. By virtue of the huge availability of original manuscripts, logs and other materials, there were many, many incidents and adventures that I was regrettably unable to include in the book. Fortunately, others have written good books that carry on in the same vein. Some of the best published material available written by others is as below:

Big Chief Elizabeth by Giles Milton (Sceptre, 2000) is about the Raleigh colony at Roanoke, and well worth reading.
Nathaniel’s Nutmeg also by Giles Milton (Sceptre, 1999) charts the quest for spices and the spice race between the Dutch and the English.

Mercator by Nicholas Crane (Phoenix, 2003) is a biography of the great mapmaker who had a tremendous impact on the age of exploration. I found it positively riveting.

The Defeat of the Spanish Armada by Garrett Mattingly was first published over fifty years ago, and remains one of the most vivid and incisive accounts of how and why an official outbreak of war between England and Spain had become inevitable.

The Queen’s Conjuror by Benjamin Woolley (Henry Holt, 2001) is a thought provoking biography about Dr. John Dee. Dee was essential to the development of Elizabeth’s navy and to northerly exploration, providing key advice to adventurers and moral support at court.

Pirate Queen – The Life of Grace O’Malley  by Judith Cook (Tuckwell Press, 1988) is about the Irish pirate, Grace O’Malley, as the title implies, and is a competent account of Grace’s highly colourful life. I include this here for two reasons: Elizabeth was, by the end of her reign obsessed by Ireland, costing the life of her dear Essex.

I would like to reiterate that I did not name Elizabeth I Queen of England, the Pirate Queen… the first person on record to do so was Philip II’s admiral of the fleet, the Marquis of Santa Cruz, in the 16th century. It was a nickname adopted by Philip II himself, and successive popes. When I read the quote from Santa Cruz while researching my previous book, I decided that it would make a great title, and was a wonderful idea for a new slant on Queen Elizabeth I. I wish the creators of the musical, The Pirate Queen all the greatest success.

For those interested in further reading, please consult my bibliographical essay in The Pirate Queen.