Charles Johnson's "General History of the Pyrates" and Global Commerce

A bestseller upon its publication in 1724, Charles Johnson’s General History of the Pyrates shaped public perceptions of piracy with its portraits of such legendary figures as Blackbeard, Mary Read, Anne Bonny, and Bartholomew Roberts. Yet despite influencing everything from Treasure Island to Peter Pan , Johnson’s book has yet to be taken seriously as a literary work in its own right.   This study explores how General History of the Pyrates was at the heart of early eighteenth-century Brit