Return to Treasure Island and the Search for Captain Kidd

Clifford, Barry;Perry, Paul

ISBN 10: 0060185090 / ISBN 13: 9780060185091

Published by William Morrow & Co, Scranton, Pennsylvania, U.S.A., 2003

About this Item

The legendary Kidd (1654-1701) was a mass of intriguing contradictions. Initially a respectable husband and New York City entrepreneur, he succumbed to a lust for wealth and became a murderous, dictatorial pirate. Archeologist Clifford and co-writer Perry present a robust and chilling account of Kidd's barbaric exploits. The pirate material unfolds in alternating chapters with Clifford's search for the pirate's ship, Adventure Galley, an expedition funded by the Discovery Channel. Clifford describes his hunt meticulously, although his tale is overshadowed by the colorful portrait of a nefarious rogue who killed an innocent native on one of the Maldive Islands to establish authority and punished his crew so brutally they turned to mutiny. Stories about Discovery's tight schedules and frustrating efforts to procure excavation permits offer an in-depth view of obstacles expedition leaders and archeologists face, but Clifford's contemporary yarn gains emotional charge and tension when he deals with Dick Swete, a rival scientist with a longtime grudge, who struggles to deter Clifford. Swete, a descendant of pirate William Rogers, appears as a paranoid equivalent of Kidd and his fellow plunderers. The text's spare clarity brings alive the sea and Madagascar's Ile Sainte-Marie, a place where men could "buy clothing, weapons, drugs, alcohol, and women." Clifford finds his elusive ship, a far happier ending than Kidd found in his amazing saga's final phase, when he was hanged for his crimes and left to dangle in a London public square to warn those contemplating the pirate's life. 50 b&w photos. Size: 8vo - over 7¾ in. - 9¾ in.Tall.

Seller Inventory # 129724

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Return to Treasure Island and the Search for Captain Kidd
• Publisher: William Morrow & Co, Scranton, Pennsylvania, U.S.A.
• Publication Date: 2003
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0060185090
• ISBN 13: 9780060185091
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition: First Edition.
• Condition: Very Good
• Dust Jacket Condition: Very Good
• Book Type: Book
• Seller catalogs:
  • English books

About this title

Synopsis

The fascinating, unbelievable story behind Barry Clifford’s discovery of the long-lost treasure ship— the Adventure Galley—of the world’s most fabled pirate, Captain Kidd.

With larceny in his heart, Captain William Kidd and a band of pirates sailed to the Indian Ocean on the Adventure Galley, a ship built specially for piracy. But months later, Kidd found himself with a ship on the verge of sinking, and his crew members threatening mutiny.

With the Adventure Galley filling rapidly with water, Kidd ordered her to the tiny island of Sainte Marie off the coast of Madagascar. Soon thereafter, Kidd’s beloved ship sank in the harbor, disappearing beneath the waves never to be seen again…Until 302 years later, when undersea explorer Barry Clifford arrived to uncover the ship’s secrets.

About the Authors

Barry Clifford is an undersea explorer who discovered and excavated the Whydah, the first pirate shipwreck ever authenticated, off the coast of Cape Cod. He established the Expedition Whydah Sea Lab and Learning Center in Provincetown, Massachusetts, where he also owns and operates a pirate museum.

Paul Perry is an internationally bestselling author who has co-written nine books on near-death experiences.