A General History of the Pyrates Volume 2

A General History of the Pyrates, Volume 2 was published in 1726 just as the 'Golden Age of Piracy' was coming to an end. Along with Volume 1 it is perhaps the most important contemporary source of information on pirates, and has done much to shape popular ideas about them ever since. Captain Charles Johnson is believed to be a pseudonym of either Daniel Defoe or an unknown London-based writer publisher. The artistic license of the author has helped to give some of the characters in this book an almost mythical status. In the eighteenth century, as much as today, the reading public had an appetite for exotic tales from the high seas and far away lands, and for graphic tales of the deeds of heroes, heroines, villains, and villainesses alike. This volume features accounts of Christopher Condent, David Williams, James Misson, John Bowen, John Cornelius, John Halsey, Samuel 'Black Sam' Bellamy, Samuel Burgess, Thomas Howard, Thomas Tew, Thomas White, William Fly, William Kid, and William Lewis. Also featured is a description of a placed called Magadoxa on the East coast of Africa, which is believed to be present day Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia. This volume also contains an appendix to the first volume with additional information on Charles Vane, Edward 'Blackbeard' Teach, James Martel, John Bowen, Nathaniel North, Richard Worley, and Stede 'The Gentleman Pirate' Bonnet, with an article entitled 'The Trial of the Pirates of Providence'. This edition presents the text as close to its original form as possible, making it readable while preserving the characteristic features and atmosphere of early 18th Century English. Matthew Leigh Embleton Editions 2023