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General History of the Robberies & Murders of the Most Notorious Pirates Paperback – May 4, 2010

by Charles Captain Johnson (Author), David Cordingly (Introduction)
4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 162 ratings
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Originally published in 1724―and now with an introduction and commentary by David Cordingly, best-selling author of the pirate classic Under the Black Flag―this famous account of the most notorious pirates of the day was an immediate success. Written by the mysterious Captain Johnson, it appeared in the book world at a time since described as the “Golden Age of Piracy” and vividly captures the realities of the savage seafaring existence―detailing specific events, including trials, of the day's most feared pirates. Indeed, this book has become the main source for scholars seeking to learn more about the female pirates Mary Read and Anne Bonny, and was largely responsible for the posthumous fame of Blackbeard and Captain Kidd. In the 270 years since its first publication, it has come to be generally regarded as the classic study of one of the most popular subjects in maritime history.

Previous page
  1. Print length
    366 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Lyons Press
  4. Publication date
    May 4, 2010
  5. Dimensions
    7.5 x 0.5 x 9.25 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    1599219050
  7. ISBN-13
    978-1599219059
  8. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Originally published in 1724—and now with an introduction and commentary by David Cordingly,
best-selling author of the pirate classic Under the Black Flag—this famous account of the most notorious pirates of the day was an immediate success. Written by the mysterious Captain Charles Johnson, it appeared in the book world at a time since described as the “Golden Age of Piracy.” With his dramatic writing style, which vividly captures the realities of their savage existence, the author documents specific events, including trials, in the lives of a number of the most feared pirates. Highly detailed, these accounts ensure that the pirates were accurately depicted in all their gruesome glory.
Indeed, this book has become the main source for scholars seeking to learn more about the female pirates Mary Read and Anne Bonny and was largely responsible for the posthumous fame of Blackbeard and Captain Kidd. In the nearly 300 years since its first publication, it has come to be generally regarded as the classic study of one of the most popular subjects in maritime history.

About the Author


Captain Johnson was for some years thought to be Robinson Crusoe author Daniel Defoe. His exact identity is still unkown.




David Cordingly is the author of the bestselling Under the Black Flag, Life Among the Pirates, Seafaring Women, The Billy Ruffian, and Cochrane: The Real Master and Commander. He was Keeper of Pictures and Head of Exhibitions at the National Maritime Museum for twelve years, where he organized such exhibitions as “Captain James Cook, Navigator,” “The Mutiny on the Bounty,” and “Pirates: Fact and Fiction.” He lives by the sea in Brighton, England.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Lyons Press; Revised edition (May 4, 2010)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 366 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1599219050
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1599219059
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.41 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 7.5 x 0.5 x 9.25 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 162 ratings

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Charles Johnson

Charles Johnson

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Customer reviews

4.7 out of 5 stars
4.7 out of 5
162 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Romany
5.0 out of 5 stars Great quality book
Reviewed in the United States on February 26, 2024
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Great condition, fast shipping
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Chris
5.0 out of 5 stars Great read for all who love adventure, the sea, and daring ...
Reviewed in the United States on January 1, 2024
Verified Purchase
If you love Treasure Island, Homer's The Odyssey, Robin Hood, Kidnapped, The Gold Bug, The Outlaws of the Marsh, Dr. Syn Alias the Scarecrow, then this you will enjoy.
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mightyeroc
5.0 out of 5 stars This is a historical book
Reviewed in the United States on October 3, 2023
Verified Purchase
Excactly the book I was looking for, heard about it in a documentary about Pirates.
One person found this helpful
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Earnest Sludge
4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting and invigorating
Reviewed in the United States on February 14, 2012
Verified Purchase
My copy was the Carroll & Graf edition.

It was interesting to see how the pirates differed in their treatment of prisoners. Some of them were very cruel. It was also interesting to learn of the common practice of hanging the corpses of the executed pirates up in chains for public views for years after - it was also called being "sun dried".

This edition had a number of typos, not real bad, but enough. Compounding the problem is Defoe puts a comma or semi-colon after every four or five words.

Some Defoe's writing seemed like a hurried knock-off from newspaper accounts in some parts. Other parts seem so hurried that it's impossible to follow. The referents are hopelessly confused, you can't tell who did what. Add to that the convoluted way upper class people were beginning to express themselves, and the author just general assumes an archaic mentality and you could be scratching your head for days. This could be dealt with by annotating. Fortunately these incomprehensible passages are relatively few.

Obviously an indispensable classic for the pirate fan.
3 people found this helpful
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J. W. Brown
5.0 out of 5 stars Well written
Reviewed in the United States on February 4, 2021
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Good reference material.
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A.S.
5.0 out of 5 stars Fun read!
Reviewed in the United States on July 31, 2021
Verified Purchase
This is still one of the best accounts of the golden age of piracy. Each chapter reads like a short story as the book introduces you to all the biggest names from that period. Highly recommend.
3 people found this helpful
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P51Matt
5.0 out of 5 stars Great book
Reviewed in the United States on January 26, 2021
Verified Purchase
Great work on history of robberies on the high seas. All great stories include pirates !!
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Jake
5.0 out of 5 stars Great historic read
Reviewed in the United States on January 24, 2016
Verified Purchase
If you can get past the old tyme speak and phrases in this book, its a fantastic account of piracy and legendary buccaneers as seen from a true first hand account. Its a reprint of an original book published in the early 1700s. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book as any history buff truly would.
2 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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Byron
5.0 out of 5 stars Plethora of information
Reviewed in Canada on July 14, 2021
Verified Purchase
Book is a great addition to any person who loves the pirate era.
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Maria
4.0 out of 5 stars Joan Farrés
Reviewed in Spain on February 27, 2018
Verified Purchase
The book totally worths the price, but the cover needs to change from 144p to 1080p 😂 (image attached). The rest it's just like expected.
Customer image
Maria
4.0 out of 5 stars Joan Farrés
Reviewed in Spain on February 27, 2018
The book totally worths the price, but the cover needs to change from 144p to 1080p 😂 (image attached). The rest it's just like expected.
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Robert Watt
5.0 out of 5 stars NOTORIOUS PIRATES!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 10, 2009
Verified Purchase
This looked a most interesting foray into a bygone way of life and death which is just rearing its head again due largely to the spread of such activities off Somalia. It is actually a present for my soon-to-be Daughter-in-law, who is into this not inconsiderable part of our history, and she is tickled pink with it!
2 people found this helpful
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Bayscreener
4.0 out of 5 stars Four Stars
Reviewed in Canada on January 26, 2018
Verified Purchase
Good stories in the language of the seafarers of the day
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Alessandro Santini
5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing Book
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 22, 2015
Verified Purchase
I'm really into the History of Pirates and I found this book particoulary interesting as you can have a define square of most of notorious pirates in that century.
One person found this helpful
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