A General History of the Pyrates

A General History of the Pyrates is a collection of lively biographical accounts of notorious pirates of the early eighteenth century, such as Blackbeard, Anne Bonny and Mary Read. It mixes reported fact, hearsay and embellishment, describing their voyages, rules, raids and ways of life. It was published under the name Captain Charles Johnson, and some have attributed it to Defoe, though this is disputed. It remains a main source of popular pirate lore.