‘A General History of the Pyrates’ is a captivating account of some of history’s most notorious pirates. The author, writing as Captain Charles Johnson, blends fiction and non-fiction to provide readers with a most entertaining version of these iconic heroes and villains. This book was a massive success upon its first release due to its adventurous stories filled with danger and treasure and its influence lives on to this day as it shaped the modern view of pirates. Some of the best accounts in the book are of the infamous Blackbeard and the trailblazing female pirates Anne Bonny and Mary Read. ‘A General History of the Pyrates’ is the definitive story of the golden age of piracy and should be read by fans of books such as ‘Treasure Island’ and movies such as ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’. Daniel Defoe (1660 – 1731) is one of the most important authors in the English language. Defoe was one of the original English novelists and greatly helped to popularise the form. Defoe was highly prolific and is believed to have written over 300 works ranging from novels to political pamphlets. He was highly celebrated but also controversial as his writings influenced politicians but also led to Defoe being imprisoned. Defoe’s novels have been translated into many languages and are still read across the globe to this day. Some of his most famous books include ‘Moll Flanders’ and ‘Robinson Crusoe’ which was adapted into a movie starring Pierce Brosnan and Damian Lewis in 1997. Defoe’s influence on English novels cannot be understated and his legacy lives on to this day.

This is a print of the 1927 reissued 4th edition of A General History of the Pirates- enhanced by the Arthur L. Hayward's editorial touches.

Captain Charles Johnson's celebrated 'A General History of the Pirates' (1724) is the most famous book about pirates ever written. Buoyed by the volume's runaway success Johnson followed up with the equally engrossing 'The Lives and Adventures of the Most Famous Highwaymen' (1734) which, published here for the first time in two centuries, provides over 50 accounts of the most notorious British criminals of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. These include the famous highwayman William Davis, alias The Golden Farmer, the cross-Channel gentleman highwayman Claude du Vall, the prolific road adventurer Old Mob and the royalist carriage raider James Hind. Johnson's volumes, featuring fictional accounts based on factual sources, are significant as the forerunners of the real-life criminal biography genre, and for their influence on such early novels as Defoe's 'Moll Flanders' and Fielding's 'Jonathan Wild'. Originally published in folio size complete with fine engravings, this new edition of 'Highwaymen' not only includes the very best of these original decorative features but also presents a series of related illustrations, playbills, and portraits from the British Library collections.

The classic account of the lives & exploits of the most notorious pirates of the Golden Age—from Anne Bonny to Blackbeard

"This is a remarkable blend of fact and fiction depicting pirate lives in the Golden Age of Piracy."You will be engrossed and entertained by this historical treasure depicting bands of brothers sailing their wooden ships through sun and storm, their robberies on the high seas, forgotten islands, their lofty political ideals and their inexcusable appetite for murder and rape. These vivid stories of the scoundrel outlaws and their bloody deeds, they have captivated readers for centuries, and will keep doing so for centuries to come. Nowhere before or after has the waterways been so infested with crime, as to almost have its perpetrators form a republic of their own.In this latest edition from 2017 pirate scholar Johan Franzén, Master of Arts in Comparative Literature and General History from the Åbo Akademi University, sheds new light on this historical account. His research is here for the first time made available to the broad public, and it comes with valuable insights into the controversial attribution of authorship, and the problems arising when using this work as a source in historical research. This edition includes volume one and two plus the additions made to volume two

"A thorough, exciting examination of 18th-century pirate life,with wonderful details." --Publishers Weekly "Interesting and exciting . . . a thoroughly enjoyable chronicle of an interesting life and interesting era." --Booklist The definitive biography of history'smost fearsome and famous pirate Of all the colorful cutthroats who scoured the seas in search of plunder during the Golden Age of Piracy in the early eighteenth century, none was more ferocious or notorious than Blackbeard. As unforgettable as his savage career was, much of Blackbeard's life has been shrouded in mystery--until now. Drawing on vivid descriptions of Blackbeard's attacks from his rare surviving victims, pirate expert Angus Konstam traces Blackbeard's career from its beginnings to his final defeat in a tremendous sea battle near his base at Ocracoke Island. Presenting dramatic accounts of the pirate's very effective tactics and his reputation for cruelty, Konstam offers a fascinating examination of the life and business of piracy and the lure of this brutal and bloody trade.

In the first-ever Seven Seas history of the world's female buccaneers, Pirate Women: The Princesses, Prostitutes, and Privateers Who Ruled the Seven Seas tells the story of women, both real and legendary, who through the ages sailed alongside—and sometimes in command of—their male counterparts. These women came from all walks of life but had one thing in common: a desire for freedom. History has largely ignored these female swashbucklers, until now. Here are their stories, from ancient Norse princess Alfhild and warrior Rusla to Sayyida al-Hurra of the Barbary corsairs; from Grace O'Malley, who terrorized shipping operations around the British Isles during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I; to Cheng I Sao, who commanded a fleet of four hundred ships off China in the early nineteenth century. Author Laura Sook Duncombe also looks beyond the stories to the storytellers and mythmakers. What biases and agendas motivated them? What did they leave out? Pirate Women explores why and how these stories are told and passed down, and how history changes depending on who is recording it. It's the most comprehensive overview of women pirates in one volume and chock-full of swashbuckling adventures that pull these unique women from the shadows into the spotlight that they deserve.