after leaving a cannery at the age of fifteen, by Abraham Rothberg in an Introduction to The Great Adventure Stories of Jack London (1967) and by Eric Hanson in A Book of Ages (2008). London owned a boat which he used as an oyster pirate, whose purchase was funded by a loan from his black nanny Virginia Prentiss. East Coast and Chesapeake Bay oyster pirates Oyster pirates also operated on the east coast of the United States beginning in the 18th century. These disputes often focused on increased privatization of what had been public rights, providing an obvious inspiration for later West Coast activities. Oyster pirates also appeared in the Chesapeake Bay, especially from the second half of the nineteenth century into the twentieth century during the Oyster Wars. See also Oyster Wars San Leandro Oyster Beds References History of fishing Maritime history of California Maritime history of Maryland Maritime history of Virginia Pirates Oysters Poaching