No one knows the identity of Captain Charles Johnson, but his 1724 book A General History of the Pirates made him a legend in his own right. Afterward, he delved deeper into the adventures of Britain's crooks, villains, and rascals, celebrating their exploits in these illustrated compendiums.

Buoyed by the runaway success of his bestselling history of pirates, Captain Charles Johnson went on to produce these additional pirate biographies but expanded the cast to include a ferocious band of distinctly British murderers and thieves.