Legendary Pirates: The Life and Legacy of Captain William Kidd - Paperback

by Charles River (Author)

*Includes historic illustrations of Kidd and important people and events in his life.
*Includes a profile of Kidd from Captain Charles Johnson's pirate history.
*Includes Kidd's own account of the controversial expedition that resulted in his trial.
*Discusses the legends and controversies surrounding Kidd and his trial.
*Includes a Bibliography for further reading.

"My name is Captain Kidd, who has sailed, who has sailed, My name is Captain Kidd, who has sailed. My name is Captain Kidd; What the laws did still forbid Unluckily I did while I sailed, while I sailed." - A verse from Captain Kidd's Farewell to the Seas
The people who have lived outside the boundaries of normal societies and refused to play by the rules have long fascinated the world, and nowhere is this more evident than the continuing interest in the pirates of centuries past. As the subjects of books, movies, and even theme park rides, people continue to let their imaginations go when it comes to pirates, with buried treasure, parrots, and walking the plank all ingrained in pop culture's perception of them. Charles River Editors' Legendary Pirates series covers the lives, piracy, legends, myths, and legacies of history's most famous pirates.
There are a number of famous pirates in history, but one of them may not have been a pirate at all. Captain William Kidd has been remembered for over 300 years as a pirate and his name is synonymous with piracy today, but he was far from the most bloodthirsty or most prosperous because he insisted he wasn't one at all. In fact, Kidd's entire reputation is based on the most notorious trial in the history of piracy.
Like many pirates, Kidd got his start by being an English privateer assigned to fight the French, and later he was ironically asked to attack pirates around the English colonies of New Hampshire and New York. Kidd established some connections with powerful people in the New World, affording him the luxury of a large ship with which to capture pirates, but he would become notorious and controversial for killing one of his own crew members in 1697. When Kidd found himself at odds with the Royal Navy over the impressment of his crew, charges of piracy were lobbed at him, and by 1698 he was a wanted man.
Aware of what would happen if he was caught, Kidd was tricked into coming to Boston by an investor in his expedition who betrayed him and had him arrested. In addition to being personally questioned by Parliament, Kidd's trial became a political football between the Whigs and Tories, and ultimately it produced a controversial conviction and execution of the notorious captain in 1701. Historians and scholars have been debating whether Kidd was a pirate or murderer ever since.
Legendary Pirates: The Life and Legacy of Captain William Kidd looks at the controversial life and career of the infamous captain, attempting to separate fact from fiction while analyzing his lasting legacy. Along with pictures depicting important people, places, and events in his life, you will learn about Kidd like you never have before, in no time at all.