Meeting Date: September 25, 7:00 PM
Book: The Pirate Hunter : The True Story of Captain Kidd by Richard Zacks
Book Description:
Everybody knows the legend of Captain Kidd, Americas most ruthless buccanneer. Few people realize that the facts of his life make for a much better tale. Kidd was actually a tough New York sea captain hired to chase pirates, a married war hero whose secret mission took a spectacularly bad turn. This harrowing tale traces Kidds voyages in the 1690s from his home near Wall Street to Whitehall Palace in London, from the ports of the Caribbean to a secret pirate paradise off Madagascar. Author Richard Zacks, during his research, also unearthed the story of a long forgotten rogue named Robert Culliford, who dogged Kidd and led Kidds crew to mutiny not once but twice. The lives of Kidd and Culliford play out like an unscripted duel: one man would hang in the harbor, the other would walk away with the treasure. Filled with superb writing and impeccable research, The Pirate Hunter is both a masterpiece of historical detective work and a ripping good yarn, and it delivers something rare: an authentic pirate story for grown-ups.
-from: Amazon.com
About the Author:
Richard Zacks spent more than three years researching The Pirate Hunter, including months at the Public Record Office in London (where he found a pirate prisoner's long-lost diary). Zacks is the author of two previous books of unusual research: the bestselling History Laid Bare and perennial book club favorite An Underground Education. He lives in Pelham, New York.
-from: Amazon.com
Links:
Author Biographical information
The Pirate Hunter Website
Author Interview
Book Browse Review
Salon.com Review
Pirates of the Caribbean, in Fact and Fiction
Pirates - Fact and Legend
Piracy - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Pirates - National Maritime Museum,
Pirates and Privateers: The History of Maritime Piracy
Elizabeth's Pirates
