The Introduction explains : "Defoe has been recognized as the author of 'A General History of the Robberies and Murders of the Most Notorious Pyrates' since 1932 when John Robert Moore suggested that the supposed author, Captain Charles Johnson, like Andrew Moreton, Kara Selym or Captain Roberts, was merely another mask for the creator of 'Robinson Crusoe'. Although most of the first volume is of minor literary importance, the second section which appeared in 1728 as 'The History of the Pyrates' commenced with a life "Of Captain Mission and His Crew," one of Defoe's most remarkable and neglected works of fiction." According to Wikipedia: Daniel Defoe (1659/1661 [?] — 1731), born Daniel Foe, was an English writer, journalist, and pamphleteer, who gained enduring fame for his novel Robinson Crusoe. Defoe is notable for being one of the earliest practitioners of the novel, as he helped to popularise the form in Britain, and is even referred to by some as one of the founders of the English novel. A prolific and versatile writer, he wrote more than five hundred books, pamphlets, and journals on various topics (including politics, crime, religion, marriage, psychology and the supernatural). He was also a pioneer of economic journalism.