14 h 41 minAudiobook11 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at costPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
Behind the pirate legend lie captured ships, shipboard rules, and lives lived within reach of the gallows.
In A General History of the Pyrates, Charles Johnson gathers the lives of sea robbers into a vivid gallery. Henry Avery, Edward Teach—better known as Blackbeard—and Bartholomew Roberts stand among its central figures. Ships are taken, crews gather in island hideouts, and the threat of trial and hanging shadows their daring exploits.
The accounts also follow Mary Read and Anne Bonny, explore Nassau as a pirate base, and tell Captain Misson's story of Libertalia. Johnson draws on court records and newspaper reports, but adds scenes and speeches without documentary support. Read these lives for their pull as stories, while watching the uneasy boundary between recorded history and pirate legend.
What you’ll discover
- Blackbeard's face of terror Meet Edward Teach through one of Johnson's most vivid portraits of pirate life.
- Rules aboard pirate ships Explore Bartholomew Roberts's pirate articles and the place of rules among sea robbers.
- Women among the crews Follow Johnson's accounts of Mary Read and Anne Bonny, women who fight at sea.
- An island gathering place Enter Nassau, where pirate crews sell goods, repair ships, and plan their next raids.
- The dream of Libertalia Discover Captain Misson's tale and the strange possibility of a pirate nation.
Who will love it
For readers who love sea stories, naval history, and the roots of pirate legend, and anyone curious how a 1724 book shaped what we imagine about pirates.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- A London book for a nervous public
- War ends and sailors turn rovers
- Henry Avery and the great Mogul prize
- Blackbeard builds a face of terror
- Nassau, the pardon, and those who refused it
- Bartholomew Roberts and the pirate articles
- Mary Read and Anne Bonny at sea
- Captain Misson and the dream of Libertalia
- How far to trust Johnson, and what he left
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- Paperback
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- Hardcover
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- Large print paperback
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- Large print hardcover
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Histoire générale des pirates
by Charles Johnson · 1724
Meet Blackbeard with his smoking matches and Anne Bonny on deck, where pirate lives become legend.
Medium level10–20 hours to read25 languages
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In short
A General History of the Pyrates is a collection of lives of sea robbers, first printed in London in 1724. It carries the name Captain Charles Johnson, but no one has found a sea captain of that name who fits.
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
A London book for a nervous public
The first volume of A General History of the Pyrates appeared in London in May 1724, and a longer edition followed within months. A second volume came in 1728. The publisher was Charles Rivington, and the author's name on the title page was Captain Charles Johnson.
The timing was shrewd. Piracy in the Atlantic and the Caribbean had been a serious worry for merchants and for the Royal Navy for some years. Governors were issuing pardons, and naval ships were hunting rovers. Trials at Jamaica, Charleston, and elsewhere were making news.
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What is A General History of the Pyrates about?
It tells the lives of notorious pirates of the early 1700s and late 1600s, including Henry Avery, Blackbeard, Bartholomew Roberts, Mary Read and Anne Bonny. It covers their raids, their crews, their rules, and what happened to them.
Who really wrote A General History of the Pyrates?
The title page names Captain Charles Johnson, but that appears to be a pen name. Some scholars have argued that Daniel Defoe wrote it. Others reject this, so the true author is still uncertain.
Is A General History of the Pyrates a true story?
Partly. It was first published in 1724 and uses real people, trials, and events. Johnson also adds invented speeches and tales, and the account of Libertalia is doubted by historians, so it needs checking.
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