10 h 14 minAudiobook14 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at cost
Audiobook edition · 10 h 14 minPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
At sea, a government’s permission can mark the line between a daring rogue and a national hero.
In Famous Privateersmen and Adventurers of the Sea, Charles H. L. Johnston follows men who carry war across the oceans under sail. Francis Drake attacks Spanish ships and ports. Jean Bart rises from common seaman. Their ships and gambles bring courage, profit and country into the same dangerous waters.
John Paul Jones joins the American cause, while Jean Lafitte leads smugglers and privateers near New Orleans. These true stories stretch from Elizabethan England to the young United States. Johnston tells them with a storyteller’s energy and open admiration, tracing lives that run close to the edge of the law.
What you’ll discover
- Permission to wage war Discover how a letter of marque lets a private ship fight with government permission.
- Drake and Jean Bart Follow an English sea rover and a French sailor whose daring brings them renown.
- Jones joins the cause Meet the Scottish-born sailor who becomes one of the Continental Navy’s first officers.
- Lafitte at the edge Enter the swamps and bayous of Barataria, where smuggling and privateering share uncertain ground.
- Courage through admiring eyes Enjoy lively accounts of outsiders rising by daring, with Johnston’s hero-worship plainly in view.
Who will love it
Readers who love sea battles, daring escapes, and clever tricks will enjoy this book. It suits anyone drawn to pirate lore, naval history, and lively tales of real captains.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- Carlo Zeno saved Venice and was jailed
- Francis Drake made a career from betrayal
- Walter Raleigh served England and was repaid with prison
- Two French commoners fought their way to honor
- Pirates and privateers differ by one piece of paper
- Fortunatus Wright outwitted every officer who watched him
- George Walker won by nerve, tricks, and training
- John Paul Jones carried the new flag to Britain
- Talbot and Barney showed American grit under capture
- Three captains used cunning and fury in later wars
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Corsari famosi e avventurieri del mare
by Charles H. L. Johnston · 1911
A Dunkirk privateer lights a match over a powder keg to escape his English host's breakfast trap.
Medium level10–20 hours to readItaliano
Excellent
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In short
What do you do when your enemy invites you to breakfast and then calls you his prisoner? Jean Bart, a privateer from Dunkirk, holds a match over an open barrel of gunpowder until his crew boards and captures the English ship.
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
Carlo Zeno saved Venice and was jailed
Carlo Zeno, a Venetian born in 1344, was meant for the Church and became a sea fighter instead. Johnston uses his life to show that a country can owe its survival to a man it later punishes.
Zeno's fighting career brings him up against steep odds. At Tenedos he has three ships and three hundred soldiers against twenty-two Genoese galleys. He hides men in ruined houses, springs an ambush, and drives the landing party back to sea.
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Which edition is right for me
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas of the whole book in about 14 minutes. A good first look, or a refresher.
Details
- First published
- 1911
- Language
- Italiano
- Level
- Medium level
Cite this edition
Johnston, Charles H. L. Famous Privateersmen and Adventurers of the Sea. Library of Alexandria, 2026, libraryofalexandria.com/products/famous-privateersmen-and-adventurers-of-the-sea.
Johnston, C. H. L. (2026). Famous privateersmen and adventurers of the sea. Library of Alexandria. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/famous-privateersmen-and-adventurers-of-the-sea (Original work published 1911)
Johnston, Charles H. L. Famous Privateersmen and Adventurers of the Sea. Library of Alexandria, 2026. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/famous-privateersmen-and-adventurers-of-the-sea.
@book{johnston2026famous,
author = {Johnston, Charles H. L.},
title = {Famous Privateersmen and Adventurers of the Sea},
publisher = {Library of Alexandria},
year = {2026},
url = {https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/famous-privateersmen-and-adventurers-of-the-sea},
note = {First published 1911}
}
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What is Famous Privateersmen and Adventurers of the Sea about?
It is a collection of true stories about sea fighters, including Drake, Raleigh, Jean Bart, Fortunatus Wright, John Paul Jones, Surcouf, Lafitte, and Semmes. Each chapter follows one captain through his famous battles, tricks, and fate.
What is the difference between a pirate and a privateer in this book?
Johnston says a privateer fights under a government license called Letters of Marque and preys on enemy merchant ships. A pirate has no such license and attacks anyone. Several captains in the book cross that line.
Are the stories in this book true?
They are based on real people and events, drawn from logs, letters, and old chroniclers. Johnston adds dialogue and a lively voice, and in places he notes where accounts disagree so you can judge for yourself.
The author
Charles H. L. Johnston
American historical writer
Charles H. L. Johnston (1877–1943) was an American writer whose full name was Charles Haven Ladd Johnston. He wrote historical biographies for young readers in the early twentieth century. His books include Famous Privateersmen and Adventurers of the Sea, Famous Indian Chiefs, and Famous Scouts.
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