A General History of the Pirates
First printed in London in 1724, this collection of pirate biographies did more than any other book to shape how the world pictures buccaneers. Its pages introduced buried treasure, the Jolly Roger, and the swaggering menace of figures such as Blackbeard, Bartholomew Roberts, Calico Jack Rackham, and the female pirates Anne Bonny and Mary Read. The author hid behind the name Captain Charles Johnson, and his true identity has never been settled. Part reportage and part legend, the work blends real Atlantic and Caribbean raids with colorful invention, which is exactly why novelists from Stevenson onward mined it for generations. Free PDF and EPUB edition.
Listen to A General History of the Pirates Audiobook Free
Listen to A General History of the Pirates by Captain Charles Johnson free online. The full audiobook (11 hr 52 min, 33 chapters, read by volunteer narrators) streams free on this page.
A General History of the Pirates (1724) is a public domain work.
| # | Chapter | Length | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Preface | 14:57 | |
| 2 | Introduction, part 1 | 37:42 | |
| 3 | Introduction, part 2 | 8:38 | |
| 4 | CHAPTER I Of Captain Avery, and his Crew | 31:06 | |
| 5 | CHAPTER II Of Captain Martel, and his Crew | 9:28 | |
| 6 | CHAPTER III Of Captain Teach alias Black-Beard | 35:43 | |
| 7 | CHAPTER IV Of Major Stede Bonnet, and his Crew | 37:20 | |
| 8 | CHAPTER V Of Captain Edward England, and his Crew | 48:34 | |
| 9 | CHAPTER VI Of Captain Charles Vane, and his Crew | 14:30 | |
| 10 | CHAPTER VII Of Captain John Rackam, and his Crew | 10:20 | |
| 11 | The Life of Mary Read | 14:52 | |
| 12 | The Life of Anne Bonny | 13:05 | |
| 13 | CHAPTER VIII Of Captain Howel Davis, and his Crew (Part 1) | 23:44 | |
| 14 | A Description of the Islands of St. Thome, Del Principe, and Annobono | 30:59 | |
| 15 | CHAPTER VIII Of Captain Howel Davis, and his Crew (Part 2) | 6:17 | |
| 16 | CHAPTER IX Of Captain Bartholomew Roberts, and his Crew (Part 1) | 24:02 | |
| 17 | CHAPTER IX Of Captain Bartholomew Roberts, and his Crew (Part 2) | 23:49 | |
| 18 | CHAPTER IX Of Captain Bartholomew Roberts, and his Crew (Part 3) | 28:03 | |
| 19 | Captain Roberts and his crew, part 4 | 18:05 | |
| 20 | Captain Roberts and his Crew, part 5 | 32:27 | |
| 21 | The Tryals of the Pyrates part 1 | 29:11 | |
| 22 | the Tryals of the Pyrates part 2 | 24:21 | |
| 23 | the Tryals of the Pyrates part 3 | 29:55 | |
| 24 | CHAPTER X Of Captain Anstis, and his Crew | 19:41 | |
| 25 | CHAPTER XI Of Captain Worley, and his Crew | 7:20 | |
| 26 | CHAPTER XII Of Captain George Lowther, and his Crew | 31:01 | |
| 27 | CHAPTER XIII Of Captain Edward Low, and his Crew, part 1 | 20:06 | |
| 28 | CHAPTER XIII, Captain Low part 2 | 24:14 | |
| 29 | CHAPTER XIV Of Captain John Evans, and his Crew | 7:06 | |
| 30 | CHAPTER XV Of Captain John Phillips, and his Crew | 25:01 | |
| 31 | CHAPTER XVI Of Captain Spriggs, and his Crew | 12:36 | |
| 32 | An account of the pyracies and murders committed by Philip Roche | 9:26 | |
| 33 | An Abstract of the Civil Law and Statute Law now in Force, in Relation to Pyracy | 8:04 |
Prefer reading? Read A General History of the Pirates online free or download the PDF and EPUB above.
