A General History of the Pyrates

A General History of the Pyrates

"A General History of the Robberies and Murders of the most notorious Pyrates" is a 1724 book containing biographies of contemporary pirates. Its author uses the name Captain Charles Johnson, generally considered a pseudonym.

The real name of the author is thought by some scholars to be Daniel Defoe, although this has been disputed. The publisher Nathaniel Mist or somebody working for him are other suggested authors. [cite web|url=http://www.thepirateking.com/books/books_ghp_review.htm|title=Book Review:A General History of the Pyrates|author=Rob Ossian|accessdate=2007-11-29|Publisher=The Pirate King]

The book was released in two volumes. The first mostly deals with early 18th century pirates, while volume II records the exploits of their predecessors a few decades earlier. In the first volume "Johnson" sticks fairly close to the available sources, though he embellishes the stories somewhat. He stretches the truth farther in the second volume, and includes the biographies of three subjects who may be entirely fictional. Nevertheless, the book was influential in shaping popular notions of piracy and provided the standard account of the lives of many individuals still famous in the 21st century.

The buccaneers profiled in volume I are Henry Avery, James Martel, Blackbeard, Stede Bonnet, Edward England, Charles Vane, Calico Jack Rackham, Mary Read, Anne Bonny, Howell Davis, Bartholomew ("Black Bart") Roberts, Thomas Anstis, Richard Worley, George Lowther, Edward Lowe, John Evans, Francis Spriggs, John Smith, John Gow, and Roche Braziliano.

Volume II features Thomas Tew, William Kidd, John Bowen, John Halsey, Thomas White, Thomas Howard, David Williams, Samuel Burgess, Nathaniel North, Christopher Condent, Samuel Bellamy, and William Fly, as well as biographies of the probably fictional captains James Misson, Lewis, and Cornelius.

Notes

References

*Cordingly, David. "Under the Black Flag: The Romance and Reality of Life Among the Pirates". New York: Harcourt Brace, 1995.
*Charles Johnson (1724), " [http://brian.carnell.com/archives/related_topics/History/Pirates/etexts/Charles_Johnson/A_General_History_of_the_Pyrates/index.html A General History of the Robberies and Murders of the Most Notorious Pyrates] ", a copy on the website of [http://brian.carnell.com/about/ Brian Carnell] (Copy is not on this website!)

Further reading

* [http://www.fortunecity.co.uk/amusement/golf/200/defoe.html Article comparing Johnson and Defoe]


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать реферат

Look at other dictionaries:

  • General Historie — Captain Charles Johnson ist der Autor des Buches A General History of the Robberies and Murders of the most notorious Pyrates („Eine allgemeine Geschichte der Räubereien und Morde der berüchtigtsten Piraten“) aus dem Jahr 1724, seine Identität… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • The Mysterious Island — For other uses, see The Mysterious Island (disambiguation). The Mysterious Island   …   Wikipedia

  • Culture of the United Kingdom — The Proms is an eight week summer season of daily orchestral classical music concerts, on the last night with some traditional patriotic music of the United Kingdom.[1][2] …   Wikipedia

  • Histoire générale des plus fameux pyrates — Henry Every dans l édition datée de 1725 de l Histoire générale des plus fameux pyrates. L Histoire générale des plus fameux pyrates, en anglais A General History of the Pyrates, est un ouvrage à prétention historique contenant les biographies de …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Historia general de los robos y asesinatos de los más famosos piratas — Historia general de los robos y asesinatos de los más famosos piratas, cuyo título original en inglés fue A General History of the Robberies and Murders of the most notorious Pyrates, es un libro de 1724 que contiene biografías de piratas de la… …   Wikipedia Español

  • Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea — This article is about the novel. For other uses, see Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea (disambiguation). Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea   …   Wikipedia

  • Jolly Roger — The Jolly Roger is the name given to any of various flags flown to identify a ship s crew as pirates. [Oxford English Dictionary, Second Edition 1989, under Roger, n.2.4 records the first usage as: 1785 GROSE Dict. Vulgar T. s.v. Roger, Jolly… …   Wikipedia

  • Paris Declaration Respecting Maritime Law — The Paris Declaration Respecting Maritime Law of 16 April 1856 was issued to abolish privateering. It regulated the relationship between neutral and belligerent and shipping on the high seas introducing new prize rules.[1] Contents 1 Major points …   Wikipedia

  • Shanghaiing — The 19th century clipper ships in the China trade required a great deal of labor to operate. Shanghaiing refers to the practice of conscripting men as sailors by coercive techniques such as trickery, intimidation, or violence. Those engaged in… …   Wikipedia

  • Confederate privateer — The Confederate privateers were privately owned ships that were authorized by the government of the Confederate States of America to attack the shipping of the United States. Although the appeal was to profit by capturing merchant vessels and… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
… Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”