This week on Here’s What We Know, step into the world of pirates and hidden histories with bestselling author Samuel Marquis. In this conversation, we dig into the life of Captain William Kidd and explore where fact meets myth. Samuel shares how his family’s connection to Kidd opened the door to a deeper look at piracy, courage, politics, and the stories that shape our understanding of early America.
We talk about the rise of pirate legends, the real struggles sailors faced on the open seas, and the untold strength of Kidd’s wife, Sarah Bradley Cox Kidd. Samuel also gives us a look into his writing process and how he works to honor history while still telling a powerful story.
If you love rich conversations about identity, resilience, and the truth hidden behind old legends, this episode will pull you right in.
This episode is sponsored by:
In This Episode:
- Samuel Marquis and his unique connection to Captain Kidd
- How real pirate life compares to the stories we tell
- The political tides that changed Captain Kidd’s fate
- The overlooked resilience of Sarah Bradley Cox Kidd
- What early piracy reveals about the birth of American identity
- Why these stories still capture our imagination today
Quotations:
“When I wrote Blackbeard first, I learned a lot about Captain Kidd in the process and the Golden Age of Piracy. And then later I said, God, I’d better do a nonfiction book on Captain Kidd because I really want to tell as good a story as anybody that’s ever done it.” ~ Samuel Marquis
“Captain Kidd is 100% a history book with 94 pages of endnotes and bibliography. It is not a historical fiction book. But it’s narrative nonfiction, pure American history.” ~ Samuel Marquis
“Captain Kidd’s story is a huge political scandal and the trial of the century. It’s not just a little pirate tale. It’s one of the greatest trials of all time, and it’s one of the greatest political scandals in English history.” ~ Samuel Marquis
Bio:
The ninth-great-grandson of legendary privateer Captain William Kidd, Samuel Marquis, M.S., P.G., is a professional hydrogeologist, expert witness, and bestselling, award-winning author of twelve American non-fiction-history, historical-fiction, and suspense books, covering primarily the period from colonial America through WWII. His American history and historical fiction books have been #1 Denver Post bestsellers and received multiple national book awards (Publishers Weekly Starred Review, Kirkus and Foreword Reviews Book of the Year, American Book Fest and USA Best Book, Readers’ Favorite, Beverly Hills, Independent Publisher, Colorado Book Awards). His historical titles have garnered glowing reviews from bestselling authors, colonial American history and maritime historians, U.S. military veterans, Publishers Weekly, Booklist, Kirkus Reviews, and Foreword Reviews (Starred, 5 Stars).
Guest Contact Info:
Website: https://samuelmarquisbooks.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sammarquisbooks/