Johnson, Charles | A work that did much to popularize the mythology of pirates

Johnson, Charles

A General History of the Pyrates, from their first rise and Settlement in the Island of Providence, to the Present Time. With the remarkable Actions and Adventures of the two Female Pyrates Mary Read and Anne Bonny. ... London: Ch. Rivington, 1724

8vo (190 x 120 mm). 3 engraved plates including the famed portrait of Blackbeard and one of the dreaded female pirates; some toning, occasional spotting. Contemporary paneled calf; rebacked.

First edition of a work that did much to popularize the mythology of pirates sailing under the Jolly Roger—eye patches, wooden legs and buried treasure.

Rare, while the second edition is obtainable, the first is far more elusive, with only one copy at auction listed in Rare Book Hub.

"This rare work embodies many items relating to the Colonial History of British America, nowhere else extant" (Sabin).

REFERENCES:

Sabin 36287