Description: The first edition of “A General History of the Robbery and Murders of the Most Notorious Pirates” was published in the spring of 1724 by Thomas Warner’s London publishing house, and went on sale in May at Charles Rivington’s bookshop, located near St. Paul’s Cathedral. The book was written by Daniel Defoe under pseudonym Captain Charles Johnson.
The book was small in format (1/8, octavo), was framed in a simple leather binding and looked rather modest compared to other editions, and was illustrated with three engravings with portraits of the most famous pirates, in particular Blackbeard and Roberts Bartholomew.
Despite its modest appearance, Captain Charles Johnson’s book was a success and the entire circulation sold out fairly quickly. A few months later, the second edition appeared, in 1725 – the third, and in 1726 – the substantially supplemented fourth, which was already published in 2 volumes and included biographies of 12 more pirates. Public interest in the book inspired the author to expand its content and publish in 1734 “The General History of the Life and Adventures of the Most Famous Robbers, Murders, Robbers, etc.”, with the addition of a reliable description of the voyages and robbery of the most famous pirates.
Among historians of piracy it is widely believed that Defoe with his “General History of Piracy” created the concept of piracy that exists to this day, and comprehensively described the period that later became known as the “golden age of piracy.” Based on his “General History …”, writers, starting with Walter Scott (the novel “Pirate”), created the now familiar image of a pirate, combining real and fictional features with a number of indispensable attributes: a black eye patch, a bandana as a headdress, buried treasures , “Jolly Roger” and many others.
Author: Daniel Defoe
Daniel Defoe (c. 1660 – 1731), real name Daniel Foe, was an English trader, writer, journalist, pamphleteer, and spy. He is most famous for his novel “Robinson Crusoe”, published in 1719, which is claimed to be second only to the Bible in its number of translations. He has been seen as one of the earliest proponents of the English novel, and helped to popularise the form in Britain.
Defoe wrote many political tracts and was often in trouble with the authorities, and spent a period in prison. He was a prolific and versatile writer, producing more than three hundred works — books, pamphlets, and journals — on diverse topics, including politics, crime, religion, marriage, psychology, and the supernatural. He was also a pioneer of business journalism and economic journalism.
Language: English
Year of edition: 1724
Pages: 300
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