They say dead men tell no tales, but we are excited to chat with author Samuel Marquis about his most recent book, Captain Kidd: A True Story of Treasure and Betrayal, which is both thrilling and tragic.
Behind the legend of this pirate is the story of a real man woven into the tapestry of early America, rendering him a unique colonial hero and scapegoat whose life story was fascinating, exciting, bizarre, and heartrending. We hope you can join us!
Questions? Contact Kerry: keodonnell@somervillema.gov
RECORDING NOTE: This program will be recorded and a video link will be sent to all registrants.
About the Book:
Captain William Kidd stands as one of the most notorious “pirate” outlaws ever, but his legend is tainted by a bed of lies. Having captivated imaginations for more than three hundred years and inspired many stories about pirates, troubling questions remain. Was he really a criminal or is the truth more inconvenient: that he was a buccaneer’s worst nightmare, a revered pirate hunter turned fall guy for scheming politicians?
In Captain Kidd, his ninth-great-grandson, bestselling author Samuel Marquis, reveals the real story. Kidd was an English American privateer and leading New York husband and father. The King of England himself dubbed Kidd “trusty and well-beloved,” and some historians describe him as a “worthy, honest-hearted, steadfast, much -enduring sailor” who was the “victim of a deliberate travesty of justice.” With honors far more esteemed than the menacing Blackbeard, or any other sea rover at the turn of the seventeenth century, how can Kidd be considered both gentleman and pirate, both hero and villain?
Marquis’ biography recreates Kidd’s perilous world of explosive naval warfare and the daring integrity he exemplified as a pirate hunter, as well as the political scandal that entangled Kidd in British–American history, rocking the New World and the Old, and threatening England’s valuable trade with India.
About the Author:
The ninth great-grandson of legendary privateer Captain William Kidd, Samuel Marquis is a Colorado #1 bestselling and award-winning American history and historical fiction author. He works by day as a VP–Principal Hydrogeologist with an environmental consulting firm in Boulder, Colorado, and by night as a writer of the world’s most heralded and entertaining historical works (hyperbole intended).
Learn much more about Samuel on his website.
This program is presented in partnership with the Ashland Public Library and other MA libraries.
Registration will remain open until the program start time. When you register for this event, you'll receive an email confirmation with the Zoom link sent from the Ashland Public Library. Please make sure to check your spam folder if you don't see it initially.
