Catherine Kidd Popular Books
Catherine Kidd Biography & Facts
William Kidd (c. 1654 – 23 May 1701), also known as Captain William Kidd or simply Captain Kidd, was a Scottish privateer. Conflicting accounts exist regarding his early life, but he was likely born in Dundee and later settled in New York City. By 1690, Kidd had become a highly successful privateer, commissioned to protect English interests in North America and the West Indies. In 1695, Kidd received a royal commission from the Earl of Bellomont, the governor of New York, Massachusetts Bay and New Hampshire, to hunt down pirates and enemy French ships in the Indian Ocean. He received a letter of marque and set sail on a new ship, Adventure Galley, the following year. On his voyage he failed to find many targets, lost much of his crew and faced threats of mutiny. In 1698, Kidd captured his greatest prize, the 400-ton Quedagh Merchant, a ship hired by Armenian merchants and captained by an Englishman. The political climate in England had turned against him, however, and he was denounced as a pirate. Bellomont engineered Kidd's arrest upon his return to Boston and sent him to stand trial in London. He was found guilty and hanged in 1701. Kidd was romanticized after his death and his exploits became a popular subject of pirate-themed works of fiction. The belief that he had left buried treasure contributed significantly to his legend, which inspired numerous treasure hunts in the following centuries. Life and career Early life and education Kidd was born in Dundee, Scotland prior to 15 October 1654. While claims have been made of alternate birthplaces, including Greenock and even Belfast, he said himself he came from Dundee in a testimony given by Kidd to the High Court of Admiralty in 1695. There have also been records of his baptism taking place in Dundee. A local society supported the family financially after the death of the father. The myth that his "father was thought to have been a Church of Scotland minister" has been discounted, insofar as there is no mention of the name in comprehensive Church of Scotland records for the period. Others still hold the contrary view. Early voyages As a young man, Kidd settled in New York City, which the English had taken over from the Dutch. There he befriended many prominent colonial citizens, including three governors. Some accounts suggest that he served as a seaman's apprentice on a pirate ship during this time, before beginning his more famous seagoing exploits as a privateer. By 1689, Kidd was a member of a French–English pirate crew sailing the Caribbean under Captain Jean Fantin. During one of their voyages, Kidd and other crew members mutinied, ousting the captain and sailing to the British colony of Nevis. There they renamed the ship Blessed William, and Kidd became captain either as a result of election by the ship's crew, or by appointment of Christopher Codrington, governor of the island of Nevis. Kidd was an experienced leader and sailor by that time, and the Blessed William became part of Codrington's small fleet assembled to defend Nevis from the French, with whom the English were at war. The governor did not pay the sailors for their defensive service, telling them instead to take their pay from the French. Kidd and his men attacked the French island of Marie-Galante, destroying its only town and looting the area, and gathering around 2,000 pounds sterling. Later, during the War of the Grand Alliance, on commissions from the provinces of New York and Massachusetts Bay, Kidd captured an enemy privateer off the New England coast. Shortly afterwards, he was awarded £150 for successful privateering in the Caribbean. One year later, Captain Robert Culliford, a notorious pirate, stole Kidd's ship while he was ashore at Antigua in the West Indies. In New York City, Kidd was active in financially supporting the construction of Trinity Church, New York. On 16 May 1691, Kidd married Sarah Bradley Cox Oort, who was still in her early twenties. She had already been twice widowed and was one of the wealthiest women in New York, based on an inheritance from her first husband. Preparing his expedition On 11 December 1695, Richard Coote, 1st Earl of Bellomont, who was governing New York, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire, asked the "trusty and well beloved Captain Kidd" to attack Thomas Tew, John Ireland, Thomas Wake, William Maze, and all others who associated themselves with pirates, along with any enemy French ships. His request had the weight of the Crown behind it, and Kidd would have been considered disloyal, carrying much social stigma, to refuse Bellomont. This request preceded the voyage that contributed to Kidd's reputation as a pirate and marked his image in history and folklore. Four-fifths of the cost for the 1696 venture was paid by noble lords, who were among the most powerful men in England: the Earl of Orford, the Baron of Romney, the Duke of Shrewsbury, and Sir John Somers. Kidd was presented with a letter of marque, signed personally by King William III of England, which authorized him as a privateer. This letter reserved 10% of the loot for the Crown, and Henry Gilbert's The Book of Pirates suggests that the King fronted some of the money for the voyage himself. Kidd and his acquaintance Colonel Robert Livingston orchestrated the whole plan; they sought additional funding from merchant Sir Richard Blackham. Kidd also had to sell his ship Antigua to raise funds. The new ship, Adventure Galley, was well suited to the task of catching pirates, weighing over 284 tons burthen and equipped with 34 cannon, oars, and 150 men. The oars were a key advantage, as they enabled Adventure Galley to manoeuvre in a battle when the winds had calmed and other ships were dead in the water. Kidd took pride in personally selecting the crew, choosing only those whom he deemed to be the best and most loyal officers. As the Adventure Galley sailed down the Thames, Kidd unaccountably failed to salute a Navy yacht at Greenwich, as custom dictated. The Navy yacht then fired a shot to make him show respect, and Kidd's crew responded with an astounding display of impudence – by turning and slapping their backsides in [disdain]. Because of Kidd's refusal to salute, the Navy vessel's captain retaliated by pressing much of Kidd's crew into naval service, despite the captain's strong protests and the general exclusion of privateer crew from such action. Short-handed, Kidd sailed for New York City, capturing a French vessel en route (which was legal under the terms of his commission). To make up for the lack of officers, Kidd picked up replacement crew in New York, the vast majority of whom were known and hardened criminals, some likely former pirates. Among Kidd's officers was quartermaster Hendrick van der Heul. The quartermaster was considered "second in command" to the captain in pirate culture of this era. It is not clear, however, if Van der Heul exercised this degree of responsibility because Kidd was authorised as a private.... Discover the Catherine Kidd popular books. Find the top 100 most popular Catherine Kidd books.
Best Seller Catherine Kidd Books of 2024
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The Boy Who Lost Fairyland
Catherynne M. Valente"One of the most extraordinary works of fantasy, for adults or children, published so far this century."Time magazine, on the Fairyland seriesWhen a young troll named Hawthorn is s...
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Amazing Facts King Charles III
Hannah WilsonCelebrate the coronation of King Charles III with this fascinating book of facts about Charles, his mother Queen Elizabeth, the Royal Family, his childhood, hobbies, home and his n...
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The Girl Who Ruled Fairyland--For a Little While
Catherynne M. ValenteThis original short story tells the tale of how a girl named Mallow defeated King Goldmouth with the help of the Red Wind, Mr. Map, and many fairyland friends new and oldfrom Cathe...
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Catherine, The Duchess of Cambridge
Fiona MunroThis special Ladybird ebook edition celebrates the fairy tale story of Kate Middleton, the classic girl next door, as she married her prince and became Her Royal Highness, Catherin...
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Hanging Out, Messing Around, and Geeking Out
Mizuko Ito, Sonja Baumer, Matteo Bittanti, Danah Boyd & Rachel CodyAn examination of young people's everyday new media practicesincluding videogame playing, textmessaging, digital media production, and social media use.Conventional wisdom about yo...
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Podkin and the Singing Spear
Kieran LarwoodPodkin is now Keeper of the Gifts which is a tremendously important job and just a tiny bit boring. It doesn't help that there are still three gifts missing Podkin can't stop him...
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Solomon and Mortimer
Catherine RaynerSolomon Crocodile and his friend Mortimer are bored. They want to find some fun, but what can they do? Treeclimbing is tricky, chasing lizards doesn't end well and flying turns out...
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An Invisible Thread
Laura Schroff & Alex TresniowskiA Parents’ Choice Recommended Award Winner A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard SelectionFrom New York Times bestselling authors Laura Schroff and Alex Tresniowski comes the young ...
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Catherine McAuley Friend of All
Micheal O’SullivanCatherine McAuley was born in Dublin, Ireland, in September 1778 and went on to establish the Sisters of Mercy in December 1831. She never imagined she would make such a difference...
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Wishtree
Katherine ApplegateAn oak tree and a crow help their neighbors embrace their differences in this beautiful, nuanced, New York Timesbestselling middlegrade novel from Newbery Medalist author Katherine...
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Heartless
Marissa MeyerMucho antes de convertirse en el terror del País de las Maravillas, la Reina de Corazones era una chica que tan solo quería enamorarse…Catherine es una de las jóvenes más deseadas ...
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The Moon Riders
Theresa TomlinsonWhen a young Amazon woman, Myrina, becomes one of the warrior priestesses known as the Moon Riders, she is well prepared to perform their sacred dances, hunt and fight when necessa...
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The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making
Catherynne M. Valente"One of the most extraordinary works of fantasy, for adults or children, published so far this century."Time magazine, on the Fairyland seriesTwelveyearold September lives in Omaha...
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Crenshaw
Katherine ApplegateIn her first novel since The One and Only Ivan, winner of the Newbery Medal, Katherine Applegate delivers an unforgettable and magical story about family, friendship, and resilie...
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Catherine Blum
Alexandre DumasLoin des sagas historiques, des histoires de cape et d'épée, "Catherine Blum", roman paru en 1854, révèle une facette méconnue du génie de Dumas, plus intimiste, plus social, plus ...
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Stories of the Saints
Carey Wallace & Nick ThornborrowPerforming Miracles. Facing Wild Lions. Confronting Demons. Transforming the World. From Augustine to Mother Teresa, officially canonized as St. Teresa of Calcutta, discover sevent...
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The Girl Who Soared Over Fairyland and Cut the Moon in Two
Catherynne M. Valente"One of the most extraordinary works of fantasy, for adults or children, published so far this century."Time magazine, on the Fairyland seriesSeptember misses Fairyland and her fri...
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The Girl Who Fell Beneath Fairyland and Led the Revels There
Catherynne M. Valente"One of the most extraordinary works of fantasy, for adults or children, published so far this century."Time magazine, on the Fairyland seriesSeptember has longed to return to Fair...
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The Whisperling
Hayley Hoskins'One of the best debuts I've read in YEARS!' Emma CarrollWhen you're dead, you're dead. When you're gone, you're gone.Unless, of course, you're not.And that's where I come in.The ...
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Catherine the Great and Her Teatime Tagalongs
Karen Swensen“Your child will make you read this one over and over and over again. The best part is that your kids will learn life lessons without even knowing it!” Hoda Kotb, coanchor of the T...
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The Whisperling Twins
Hayley HoskinsFrom the author of the Branford Boase longlisted debut The Whisperling, comes the next twist in the legacy.Gloucestershire, 1918.We whisperlings are the living voice for the dead. ...
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The Strangest Fish
Katherine Arden & Zahra MarwanIn this bewitching picture book debut from bestselling fantasy author Katherine Arden, a girl wins an oddlooking goldfish at a county fair that ends up being secretly magical.When ...
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Catherine, Called Birdy
Karen CushmanRead the book behind Lena Dunham’s acclaimed new movie! This historical fiction classic, told in the form of a diary, has drawn in generations of readers and is a Newbery Honor Boo...
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The Girl Who Raced Fairyland All the Way Home
Catherynne M. ValenteThis final book in the New York Timesbestselling Fairyland series finds September accidentally crowned the Queen of Fairyland. But there are others who believe they have a fair and...
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Catherine
Karen CushmanInghilterra, 1290. Catherine, quattordicenne ribelle e intraprendente, vorrebbe essere libera di scegliere cosa fare nella vita: il crociato, il musico, ma anche il menestrello o i...
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Catherine McAuley
Micheal O’SullivanCatherine McAuley was born in Dublin, Ireland, in September 1778 and went on to establish the Sisters of Mercy in December 1831. She never imagined she would make such a difference...
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Journey Back to Freedom
Catherine JohnsonFrom the horrors of the slave trade to a book that changed the world, Catherine Johnson celebrates the incredible life of Olaudah Equiano in this gripping true story.From the horro...
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Catherine de Valois Activity Book
Laurel A. RockefellerA fun and interactive collection of puzzles based on "Catherine de Valois," book two of the Legendary Women of World History. Practice reading while you learn more about 15th centu...
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When Good Geeks Go Bad
Catherine WilkinsA laughoutloud take on early teenage life by the author of My Best Friend and Other Enemies.When Ella's dad refuses to let her have cool school shoes or stay up later than 9:30, El...
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Frederick and Catherine
Brothers GrimmFrederick and Catherine are a couple in love who lead a funny and eventful life. Catherine is so clumsy and stupid at times that she manages to get herself in trouble by doing what...