Shortly before he was executed for mutiny and murder in 1831, the pirate Charles Gibbs recounted his criminal life at sea in a series of 'confessions.' Popular reading among 19th-century audiences, such criminal confessions were peppered with the romanticized mythology that informs pirate lore to this day. Author Joseph Gibbs (mass communication, American University of Sharjah, United Arab Emirates) separates fact from fiction to tell the true story of Charles Gibbs--an alias for James Jeffers (1798-1831) of Newport, Rhode Island--in an investigation that reveals a life as interesting, and as violent, as the legend it replaces. B&w historical illustrations are included. Annotation ©2007 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)