First published 2003
Popular history has painted Captain William Kidd as America's most notorious pirate, a treasure-burying buccaneer who terrorized the seas. Richard Zacks reveals this narrative is false. Kidd was actually a respected New York sea captain hired to hunt pirates, not become one. Through meticulous research, Zacks reconstructs Kidd's true three-year voyage aboard the Adventure Galley in the 1690s. The author uncovers Kidd's forgotten nemesis, Robert Culliford, a genuine pirate who twice convinced Kidd's crew to mutiny against their captain. Zacks traces their cat-and-mouse pursuit across the world's oceans, showing how Kidd battled not just Culliford but also Royal Navy officers, East India Company captains, storms, starvation, and hostile natives. This meticulous historical detective work reveals an authentic pirate story where the supposed villain was actually the hero, and delivers the real adventure that centuries of myth-making obscured.
Genres: history, historical-fiction, adventure, non-fiction
Vibes: meticulous, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: cat-and-mouse, historical-hero
Setting: New York, Adventure Galley
Period: 1690s
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