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 enlarge | Author: Robert Ritchie
Publisher: Harvard University Press
Category: Book
List Price: $23.00
Buy New: $13.13
You Save: $9.87 (43%)
New (16) Used (18) Collectible (2) from $9.50
Avg. Customer Rating:  10 reviews
Sales Rank: 516453
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 318
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1
Dimensions (in): 9.1 x 5.9 x 0.8
ISBN: 0674095022
Dewey Decimal Number: 364.135
EAN: 9780674095021
ASIN: 0674095022
Publication Date: June 25, 2005
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: Expedited shipping available
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: Paperback. Binding is tight. Minimal wear to cover.
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| Customer Reviews:
| Showing reviews 6-10 of 10 | | « PREV | | |
 Arrogance and Intrigue June 9, 2002
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
The endnotes would lead you to believe this is just another popular pirate saga but it is actually much more. Ritchie actually tells a tale more concerned with the political, social, and economic realities of 17th century England than piracy and wayward ambition. His presentation is easily read, very well documented, and a bit shocking in its revelations of political corruption and backstabbing. Ritchie clearly possesses an impressive working knowledge of the source material available in the British Museum and the Colonial Office of which any scholar would be jealous. It is unfortunate that material is lacking to permit a better examination of Kidd's character and motivations and Dr Ritchie is often left to delve into the hazardous realm of speculation and supposition in this regard. Overall, however, he deftly uses Captain Kidd as a blank canvas while the overlaying picture he paints of merry olde England is what really makes the book worthwhile. PS-The more you read the better it gets.
Excellent Account of the Golden Age of Piracy November 15, 2001
10 out of 10 found this review helpful
It is ironic that Captain Kidd is one of the most famous pirates of all time considering that he was probably one of the worst and most unlucky pirate of them all. This book chronicles the adventures of those most "notorious of pirates" and gives an excellent account of the times that came to be known as the Golden Age of Piracy from about 1695-1730. Here are found names like Edward Teach, or Blackbeard as he is better known, Bartholomew Roberts, Edward England, and their ilk. Armed with tales of hidden treasure and cold steel cutlasses, Robert Ritchie weaves a wonderful tale of the time of the pirates as they plundered shipping and coastal towns from the Caribbean to the Indian Ocean in search of excitement and riches. The book focuses on the exploits of William Kidd, a man hired as a pirate hunter in a time when crime on the high seas was taking its toll on an emerging global commerce. Kidd is a poor pirate hunter, but when his crew evetually threatens to mutiny, he is forced to turn to piracy himself. We see Kidd slowly spiral into oblivion as his crew and his life are pulled into the blackest depths of self-destruction. Kidd is finally captured by treachery and put on trial as a scapegoat for the financial ruin and embarrassment he has caused his secret aristocratic backers; made the victim of a conspiracy gone awry. This is a great book on a fascinating subject that has too often been shrouded in myth.
Prepare to be Boarded! April 9, 2000
5 out of 10 found this review helpful
For any American interested in our thousand times billion dollar "defense" budgets, this book belongs with O'Connell's SACRED VESSELS and Hagan's THIS PEOPLE'S NAVY, to which it is a prequel. Contradicting the dogmas of big ship navalism, Professor Ritchie's swashbuckling subject and informative style conceal the extent to which his brilliantly researched facts demolish orthodox "naval history." His opening view of maritime conflict through the ages documents the case that capital ships--though very costly--never won wars. Over time it was the raiding commerce- hunters of history who did. [A role to be assumed by 20th century submariners in 'War I and II.] He then tells us how the eponymous Kidd and his fellow entrepreneurs were betrayed by an emerging commercial establishment, with its national navies, who hated such successful competition and the unique seagoing democracy which made it work so well for so long.
A fundamental book in piracy, definitely a classic. January 10, 2000
13 out of 15 found this review helpful
Robert C. Ritchie's "Captain Kidd and the War Against the Pirates" is definitely a classic text on pirate history, fundamental for those interested in serious investigation on the theme. It deals with the chapter known as "The Pirate Round", when some pirate captains decided to abandon the Caribbean and search for plunder in the Indian Ocean. They were specially looking for the Muslim Fleets that travelled to Mecca in pilgrimage, with huge treasures and just a few soldiers. Some pirates achieved ever-lasting fame when they plundered the Muslims, the most notorious were Henry Avery and Thomas Tew. Captain William Kidd was sent in a special mission to supress piracy and ended up becoming a pirate himself. Professor Ritchie has accomplished the impossible when he wrote the biography of Captain Kidd, since pirates are obscure figures in history and all the facts known about them has to be uncovered and separated from thousands of myths. This is an accurate biography of one of the most notorious pirates, were the myth and the reality are well stablished and separated. It also provides an excellent description of the maritime world of the time, the East India Company and the political intrigues in the British Parliament that led to the hanging of Captain Kidd in 1701. It is definitely one of the most useful books in pirate history.
The Definitive Capt. Kidd reference book November 30, 1999
7 out of 9 found this review helpful
Professor Ritchie's book is extensively researched, reads like a novel, and gives the reader a complete sense of the farce of a pirate we all know as Capt. Kidd. I found the book to be invaluable to understanding any pirate or sailor of the day.
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