An account of the conduct and proceedings of the late John Gow alias Smith, captain of the late pirates, executed for murther and piracy committed on board the George gally, afterwards call'd the Revenge; with a relation of all the horrid murthers they committed in cold blood; as also of their being taken at the Islands of Orkney, and sent up prisoners to London / by Daniel Defoe ; with an introduction by Nigel Rigby.

"After seizing his ship and murdering the captain and three officers, John Gow embarked on a short but notorious piratical cruise off the coasts of Spain and Portugal in 1724. He took his ship back to his native Orkney for refitting and a little plunder, only to come up against his old school friend, James Fea of Clestrain who determined to capture Gow and his crew and bring them to justice. Reputedly written by Daniel Defoe, and first published in 1725, Nigel Rigby (Head of Research at the National Maritime Museum) recounts how the true story of Gow unfolded against the backdrop of the closing years of the 'Golden Age' of piracy."--Provided by the publisher.