Publisher's Synopsis
Differentiated book- It has a historical context with research of the time-A general history of the most notorious robberies and murders of the Pyrates is a 1724 book published in Great Britain containing biographies of contemporary pirates, which influenced the shaping of popular pirate conceptions. Its author uses the name Captain Charles Johnson, generally considered a pseudonym for one of London's writers and publishers. The primary source for the biographies of many well-known pirates, the book grants quasi-mythical status to the most colorful characters, and the author has likely used considerable license in his accounts of pirate conversations. The book also contains the name of the pirate flag Jolly Roger and shows the design of the skull and bones. First appearing at Charles Rivington's London store, the book sold so well that a 17th expanded edition appeared in 1726.He was pleased with the British public's taste for the exotic; enjoying graphic stories on the high seas. English naval historian David Cordingly writes: "It has been said, and there seems to be no reason to question this, that Captain Johnson created the modern concept of pirates." Scottish novelists Robert Louis Stevenson (author of Treasure Island) and JM Barrie (author of Peter Pan with Captain Hook) identified Johnson's General History of the Pyrates as one of his main influences, and Stevenson even borrowed the name of a character .
