The Pirate Hunter, Richard Zacks
The Pirate Hunter, Richard Zacks
40 Rating(s)
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The Pirate Hunter
The True Story of Captain Kidd

Author: Richard Zacks

Narrator: Michael Prichard

Unabridged: 18 hr 44 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Tantor Media

Published: 08/01/2003

Synopsis

Captain Kidd has gone down in history as America's most ruthless buccaneer, fabulously rich, burying treasure up and down the eastern seaboard. But it turns out that most everyone, from novelists to scholars, has the story all wrong. Captain William Kidd was no career cutthroat; he was a tough, successful New York sea captain who was hired to chase pirates in the 1690s. His three-year odyssey aboard the aptly named Adventure Galley would pit him against arrogant Royal Navy commanders, jealous East India Company captains, storms, starvation, angry natives, and, above all, flesh-and-blood pirates. Captain Kidd found himself facing a long-forgotten rogue by the name of Robert Culliford, who lured Kidd's crew to mutiny not once but twice.

Through painstaking research, author Richard Zacks has pieced together the never-before-told story of Kidd versus Culliford, of pirate hunter versus pirate, as they fought each other in an unscripted duel across the oceans of the world. One man would hang in the harbor; the other would walk away with the treasure. The Pirate Hunter delivers something rare: an authentic pirate story for grown-ups.

About Richard Zacks

Richard Zacks is a graduate of the University of Michigan and Columbia Journalism School. He is the author of History Laid Bare and An Underground Education and has written articles for The Atlantic, Time, The Village Voice, and many other publications. He also thinks he knows where Captain Kidd's last ship went down.

Reviews

AudiobooksNow review by Dutch on 2008-05-28 11:25:30

If you've ever experienced one of those nightmarish situations where you think you've done well and then discover that people blame you and you can't get them to change their minds, you'll squirm with recognition in listening to this well researched history. The English justice system of the 1690's is like a slow motion lynch mob and it is excruciating to listen to all the ways in which Capt. Kidd, a flawed but honorable man, is abused and mistreated by liars and hypocrites. Although well read by Prichard, this is Not a fun audiobook to listen to, But it is a very interesting insight into late-17th Century English life.

Goodreads review by Danielle

This book is borderline between "It was okay" and "I liked it" so, 2 1/2 stars. Basically, you should forget everything you thought you knew about Captain Kidd. Which, for me was, "He was a pirate." Turns out I was even wrong about that. Here are the main things I liked about this book: 1. The true st......more

Goodreads review by Eli

Good book, well researched. Not just a collection of facts. There were some parts that were a bit superfluous. 4.5 stars......more

Goodreads review by Josh

The study of piracy allows author Richard Zacks to satisfy his interest in the bizarre and seedy details of the past. His ten year old book, “The Pirate Hunter,” is a colorful and shocking retelling of the life and voyages of Captain William Kidd. This work often serves as a delivery device for rare......more

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