Gathered during Plymouth Colony's crucial first decade, Bradford's
Letter Book served as a sourcebook for the Governor's well-known
history, Of Plymouth Plantation. This intriguing set of letters and
documents offers us valuable first-hand acquaintance with the leadership
of New England's first plantation. From this collection, we can better
appreciate the complex reality that lies behind our idealized image of
the Pilgrim Fathers. Here we can see the conflicting motives and
internal struggles, the misunderstandings and misrepresentations, and
the practical considerations which combined to shape the lives of the
early Plymouth colonists.