The King of Pirates

The king of pirates: : being an account of the famous enterprises of Captain Avery, the mock king of Madagascar with his rambles and piracies wherein all the sham accounts formerly publish'd of him, are detected. In two letters from himself; one during his stay at Madagascar, and one since his escape from thence, first published in 1720 by Daniel Defoe. Following the success of Robinson Crusoe, Daniel Defoe composed a further tale of high adventure at sea. The result was this lesser-known work, an inspired and hugely enjoyable "first-hand” account of pirate life. In response to an alleged letter accusing him of the worst possible deeds, Captain Avery pens a reply seeking to exonerate himself from all such charges. He sees fit to provide a full account of life as captain of a pirate ship. Yet far from being the archetypal, murderous villain, his letters reveal him simply to be a lovable rogue—albeit one with something of a penchant for fine jewels. This is one of the earliest adventure novels.