"A General History of the...Most Notorious Pirates"by Captain Charles Johnson is an absolute must-have for any history-lovers library. It's a near-contemporary account of the lives of the biggest names during the Golden Age of Piracy! For some, it's the only primary source we have!

There are 21 "chapters" in all, in my edition, detailing the life of each pirate. Alongside the usual suspects are Captains Martel, England, Davis, Anstis, Worley, Lowther, Evans, Phillips, Spriggs, Gow, and Philip Roche. Often these pirates would cross paths, sailing from Rhode Island to the Carolinas to the West Indies and beyond. Highlights include an attempted slave revolt in Madagascar; a list of Blackbeard's and Bonnet's crewmen; the Indian pirate Angria; a substantial description of the Islands of St. Thomas and Brazil; an accommodating Quaker; the destruction of Port Royal and the fate of Capt. Walter Kennedy. The latter is mentioned in my St Patrick's Day post!

I've had this copy since I was a teenager, and I'm so glad I decided to read it again after so many years. You don't need to be a pirate historian or scholar to appreciate this one. It was written for the general audience of 18th c. England, so accessibility was key. Johnson knew what the public wanted as he blended "accuracy" with shock value. In his intro, Johnson claims that English merchants suffered more [from pirates] than by the united force of France and Spain. Statistically true or not, his readers would've agreed completely. Pirates had an infamous reputation for violence and most actively participated in the slave trade. Thanks to Johnson's dramatic flair, most of our modern conception of pirates comes from A General History, with the possible exception of the works of Robert Louis Stevenson. And yet, even today, we don't know who Johnson was or even if that was their real name. ( )

Durante anos a autoria desta obra foi atribuída a Daniel Defoe, o famoso jornalista e autor de Robinson Crusoe, contudo e por vários motivos, veio a provar-se que Defoe nada teve a ver com as três primeiras edições. Afinal, tudo aponta para que estas histórias tenham sido escritas por um pirata, sob o pseudónimo de Capitão Charles Johnson! Entre realidade e ficção contam-se os feitos dos mais terríveis e perigosos piratas de que há memória. Nomes como o Capitão Kidd ou o Barba Negra assombram estas páginas, fazendo desta obra um dos mais emocionantes relatos sobre a era de ouro do corso e da flibusta. Nestas histórias encontram-se muitas referências à presença portuguesa e aos povos colonizadores em todo o mundo, o que as torna um dos mais fiéis retratos do dia-a-dia de uma época histórica.

Más que cuatro relatos, son como cuatro reportajes de la vida y andanzas de cuatro piratas famosos, incluyendo a William Kidd y a Edward Teach alias "Barbanegra". A veces es algo aburridillo, porque Defoe se limita a apuntar por dónde navegaron, fondearon o asaltaron estos hombres. Otras veces se anima más contando algunas anécdotas reveladoras y algunos comentarios personales. Lo que me ha sorprendido es que, salvo Barbanegra (que actuó en la costa de Virginia y Carolina, en los actuales Estados Unidos), los demás fueron piratas del Índico, con tendencia a refugiarse en Madagascar, donde incluso algunos fundaron pequeños reinos. Nada del Caribe. ( )

A comprehensive reprint of the original 1726 two volume fourth edition by Captain Charles Johnson, Manual Schonhorn gives good argument for deciding that Daniel Defoe is the actual author using the pen name of Captain Charles Johnson, though scholars have since debunked that argument. Still, an excellent book to have in your collection! ( )

One of the best books ever published about pirates. A must-have for any fan of their adventures.