The Life, Adventures and Piracies of the Famous Captain Singleton is a novel by Daniel Defoe, who is an English trader, writer, journalist, pamphleteer and spy, primarily published in 1720. It has been republished multiple times. Captain Singleton is considered to have been partly inspired by the exploits of the English pirate Henry Every, who operated in the late 17th century. The narrative describes the life of the Englishman, Singleton, stolen from a well-to-do family as a child and raised by Gypsies, eventually making his way to sea. The former half of the book concerns Singleton's crossing of Africa, the latter half referring to his life as a pirate in the Indian Ocean and Arabian Sea. Defoe's description of piracy focuses on the most part on matters of economics and logistics, making it an intriguing if not particularly gripping read.
