Captain Blood, one of the most popular adventure tales of the early twentieth century, recounts the story of a seventeenth-century medical doctor who turns pirate when his respectable, quiet life is overtaken by political events beyond his control. It imagines how lives were altered by the turmoil surrounding the English succession following the death of Charles II in 1685.
In the early years of the movie industry, the book spawned several films, including a 1935 film that catapulted Errol Flynn and Olivia de Havilland to stardom. Captain Blood remains an entertaining page-turner and an excellent example of early historical fiction.