_by_Captain_Charles_Johnson.jpg) Cover of the 2nd edition | |
| Author | Captain Charles Johnson (possibly apen name) |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Subject | Biographies |
| Publisher | Ch. Rivington, J. Lacy, and J. Stone |
Publication date | 14 May1724 |
| Publication place | Kingdom of Great Britain |
| Media type | |
| Pages | 304 |
| Text | A General History of the Robberies and Murders of the most notorious Pyrates atWikisource |
A General History of the Robberies and Murders of the most notorious Pyrates, or simplyA General History of the Pyrates (abbr. GHP), is a1724 book published in Britain containingbiographies of contemporarypirates,[1] which was influential in shaping popular conceptions of pirates. The prime source for the biographies of many well-known pirates, the book gives an almost mythical status to the more colourful characters, and it is likely that the author used considerableartistic license in his accounts of pirate conversations.[2] TheOxford Research Encyclopedia of African History says that the work "is not a historical primary source but is a fabulous literary one", and that it is the root of a lot of confusion and misconceptions about thehistory of piracy.[3]
Its author uses the nameCaptain Charles Johnson, generally considered apen name for one of London's writer-publishers. The book also contains the first recorded use of the nameJolly Roger for the pirate flag, and shows theskull and crossbones design.[4]
First appearing inCharles Rivington's shop in London, the book sold so well that by 1726 an enlarged fourth edition had appeared.[1] It pandered to the British public's taste for the exotic; revelling in graphic stories on the high seas. English naval historianDavid Cordingly writes: "It has been said, and there seems no reason to question this, that Captain Johnson created the modern conception of pirates."[5] Scottish novelistsRobert Louis Stevenson (author ofTreasure Island) andJ. M. Barrie (author ofPeter Pan featuringCaptain Hook) both identified Johnson'sGeneral History of the Pyrates as one of their major influences, and Stevenson even borrowed one character's name (Israel Hands) from a list of Blackbeard's crew which appeared in Johnson's book.[6][7]
The author, who uses the name Captain Charles Johnson, has remained unknown in spite of numerous attempts by historians to discover his identity.[8]
In 1932, literary scholarJohn Robert Moore argued thatDaniel Defoe was the true author ofA General History.[8] Other sources, including a 2004 paper, suggest that the author could have been publisherNathaniel Mist, or somebody working for Mist.[9][10] AuthorColin Woodard, inThe Republic of Pirates, considers attribution of Johnson's work to Defoe to be erroneous, and prefers the hypothesis that Johnson was Mist.[11] Other hypothesis's include multiple writers including Mist being involved in the construction of the book.
A General History introduced many features which later became common in pirate literature, such as pirates with missing legs or eyes, the notion of pirates burying treasure, and the name of the pirate flag theJolly Roger. The author specifically cites two pirates as having named their flag Jolly Roger (named after the first Pirate and his crew): Welsh pirateBartholomew Roberts in June 1721, and English pirateFrancis Spriggs in December 1723.[12] The book gives an almost mythical status to the more colourful characters, such as the infamous English piratesBlackbeard andHenry Every. It provides the standard account of the lives of many people still famous in the 21st century, and has influenced pirate literature of Scottish novelistsRobert Louis Stevenson andJ. M. Barrie.[13]
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, the author sticks fairly close to the available sources, though he embellishes the stories somewhat.[14] He stretches the truth farther in the second volume and includes the biographies of three subjects who may be entirely fictional. The book has been hugely influential in shaping popular notions of piracy.
The pirates profiled in Volume I are:
Volume II features:
as well as biographies of the probably fictional captainsJames Misson,William Lewis, andJohn Cornelius.
The General History of the Pyrates public domain audiobook atLibriVoxWorks byDaniel Defoe | ||
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