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Title: The Pirate Hunter: The True Story of Captain Kidd by Richard Zacks ISBN: 0786865334 Publisher: Hyperion Pub. Date: June, 2002 Format: Hardcover Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $25.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.57
Rating: 5
Summary: Simply Fantastic!
Comment: A dashingly narrated life of Captain William Kidd, freeing him of his unwarranted reputation as a notorious pirate. Kidd was no pirate, historian Zacks (History Laid Bare, not reviewed, etc.) argues in this solidly documented historical thriller, but a New York sea captain with a house, wife, and child on Wall Street, and with a special commission from King William III and other notables to hunt pirates and divvy up the booty with his backers. This was an exceptional charge, since it allowed Kidd to circumvent the Admiralty court. But it was also a secret commission, and his actions won him few friends in the Royal Navy, which frowned on privateers of any stripe, or with the East India Company, which suffered as a result of his work. Recreating in great detail Kidd's months searching for bounty, yet doing so with a verve that keeps the story light on its feet, Zacks also sets straight the life of the pirates-violent and short, certainly, but far more democratic than that experienced by those on land. It was Kidd's ill luck to take a glorious treasure from a Moslem vessel, throwing the East India Company's best-laid plans in India into a precarious position. The captain was left out on a limb, and his backers quickly disavowed any knowledge of his commission, for treason was the charge here. Zacks reveals the double-cross through a paper trail of logbooks, diaries, letters, and transcripts of the trial that sent Kidd to the gallows while his erstwhile pirate nemesis, Robert Culliford, walked free from Newgate Prison. In addition, Zacks paints a real-life picture of the pirates' port of choice in the 1690s-New York City-its customs, the fluid politics that pertained to maritime affairs, and even what it was like to attend a hanging. Exciting, well told, and befitting the wild life of a pirate-even if Kidd wasn't one.
Rating: 5
Summary: HBO meets the History Channel
Comment: It would be unfair to refer to Richard Zacks as a historian, as it would suggest a dry, stale read. "Pirate Hunter" has neither of these characteristics, as it is as vivid, and vibrant a book as I have read in many years. Due to Zacks' engaging storyteling abilities, you'll be reluctant to put it down - but the history and research Zacks' uses to compile this story empowers you just as a graduate level history survey would. "Pirate Hunter" has everything you'd expect from a tale of pirates, minus Captain Kidd - who turns out to be quite an honest man. Fear not, for there are ample accounts of other sinister pirates, who make Captain Kidd's legend look like something out of a Disney movie. I have seen and read many accounts of Kidd's legend, and all seem intent on abandoning a historian's quest for truth while embracing a child's thirst for a juicy tale. Zacks conclusively presents a case for Kidd's innocence and offers copious amounts of evidence to support it. Upon reading the last page, I found myself craving more pirates, more adventure, more history, and more Richard Zacks!
Rating: 5
Summary: Put wind in my sail...
Comment: ...to learn more about pirates and the pirate lifestyle. Zacks' book is rich and real. You almost feel the salt water dripping from each page. It was a real keyhole into the 17th century world of the rugged life on the ocean. I never thought much about buccaneers or pirates before cracking open this yarn, but it was a real eye opener. What I especially liked was how Zacks turned the story on its (real life) head. Instead of a bad guy -- as history depicts him -- Kidd was a good guy chasing the bad guys. Can't wait to see the movie. (Hello Hollywood or A&E or The History Channel or TNT...are yuh listening?)
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Title: Batavia's Graveyard by Mike Dash ISBN: 0609607669 Publisher: Crown Pub Pub. Date: 12 February, 2002 List Price(USD): $25.00 |
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Title: Blue Latitudes: Boldly Going Where Captain Cook Has Gone Before by Tony Horwitz ISBN: 0805065415 Publisher: Henry Holt & Company, Inc. Pub. Date: 02 October, 2002 List Price(USD): $26.00 |
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Title: Mutiny on the Globe: The Fatal Voyage of Samuel Comstock by Thomas Farel Heffernan ISBN: 0393041638 Publisher: W.W. Norton & Company Pub. Date: 29 April, 2002 List Price(USD): $24.95 |
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Title: Cicero: The Life and Times of Rome's Greatest Politician by Anthony Everitt ISBN: 0375507469 Publisher: Random House Pub. Date: 04 June, 2002 List Price(USD): $25.95 |
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Title: Lusitania: An Epic Tragedy by Diana Preston ISBN: 0802713750 Publisher: Walker & Co Pub. Date: May, 2002 List Price(USD): $28.00 |
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