Captain Charles Johnson
18th-century literary pen name / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Captain Charles Johnson was the British author of the 1724 book A General History of the Robberies and Murders of the most notorious Pyrates, whose identity remains a mystery. No record exists of a captain by this name, and "Captain Charles Johnson" is generally considered a pen name for one of London's writer-publishers. Some scholars have suggested that the author was actually Daniel Defoe, but this is disputed.
Captain Charles Johnson | |
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Born | 1680 |
Pen name | Captain Charles Johnson |
Years active | 1724–1736[1] |
Notable works | A General History of the Pyrates |
A prime source for the biographies of many well known pirates of the era,[2] Johnson gave an almost mythical status to the more colourful characters, and it is likely that the author used considerable artistic licence in his accounts of pirate conversations.[3] First appearing in Charles Rivington's shop in London, the book sold so well that by 1726, an enlarged fourth edition had appeared.[3] English naval historian David Cordingly writes: "It has been said, and there seems no reason to question this, that Captain Johnson created the modern conception of pirates."[4]