Charles Johnson

Captain Charles Johnson (active 1724-1731) is the name attached to A General History of the Pyrates, first published in 1724. The author's identity remains uncertain, but the book became one of the most important early sources for English-language pirate history and legend. Its accounts of figures such as Avery, Black-Beard, Bonnet, Rackam, and Roberts shaped later ideas of pirate custom, violence, governance, and reputation. Whether read as history, criminal biography, or literary sourcebook, Johnson's work strongly influenced the way pirates were remembered in print.