One of the truly legendary figures of American history, the soldier,
explorer, and colonist Captain John Smith was a vivid and prolific
chronicler of the beginnings of English settlement in the New World.
This Library of America volume brings together seven of his works, along
with sixteeen additional narratives by other writers, that recount
firsthand the tragic, harrowing, and dramatic events of the settlement
of Roanoke and Jamestown.
A founder of Jamestown in 1607, Smith exhibited the courage,
determination, and leadership that all proved crucial to its survival.
A True Relation tells of the colony's perilous first year, while The
Proceedings and The Generall Historie continue the story of its
struggle to survive and prosper. A Description of New England and New
Englands Trials describes Smith's exploration of the northern coast and
the prospects for its settlement. In The True Travels Smith recalls
his adventures as a soldier in Eastern Europe and his amazing escape
from Turkish slavery. Advertisements for the Unexperienced Planters,
his last book, is a critical examination of the successes and failures
of the English colonial enterprise. Written in a consistently lively
style, Smith's works are filled with suspense, astonishment, and keen
observations of American Indian cultures and New World landscapes.
The 16 additional narratives include accounts of the "Lost Colony" of
Roanoke, the horrific "starving time" at Jamestown, and a shipwreck off
Bermuda. Amplifying and sometimes challenging Smith's version of events,
these narratives capture the fear and fascination of early encounters
with the Indians; the brutality, desperation, and ingenuity of settlers
facing extreme hardship; the complex interplay of feuds and rivalries,
both between the English and the Powhatan Indians and within the colony
itself; and the enduring story of Pocahontas, who came to occupy a
unique place between two cultures. Included in the volume are forty-four
pages of contemporary drawings, fifteen of them full-color illustrations
by John White.
LIBRARY OF AMERICA is an independent nonprofit cultural organization
founded in 1979 to preserve our nation's literary heritage by
publishing, and keeping permanently in print, America's best and most
significant writing. The Library of America series includes more than
300 volumes to date, authoritative editions that average 1,000 pages in
length, feature cloth covers, sewn bindings, and ribbon markers, and are
printed on premium acid-free paper that will last for centuries.
