Back Writings, with Other Narratives of Roanoke, Jamestown, and the First English Settlement of America

Capt. John Smith: Writings, with Other Narratives of Roanoke, Jamestown, and the First English Settlement of America

The Proceedings of the English Colonie in Virginia | A Description of New England | The Generall Historie | four other narratives by Smith | 44 pages of illustrations Additional narratives by Gabriel Archer, Arthur Barlowe, Lord De La Warre, Ralph Lane, Ralph Hamor, Thomas Hariot, George Percy, John Rolfe, Henry Spelman, William Strachey, John White, and Edward Maria Wingfield More

Edited by James Horn

“Capt. John Smith: Writings throbs with the spirit of exultant exploration, resourcefulness, and endurance. . . . [I]t also wonderfully conveys the fantastic plenitude and opportunity of the New World.” — The Boston Globe

Overview
Table of Contents

Overview

News Editor James Horn on Captain John Smith, “a superb observer and a superb narrator”
August 31, 2022

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 16 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 44 pages of contemporary drawings, 15 of them full-color illustrations by John White.

James Horn, editor, is O’Neill Director of the John D. Rockefeller Jr. Library at the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation and lecturer at the College of William & Mary. His works include Adapting to a New World: English Society in the Seventeenth Century Chesapeake and A Land As God Made It: Jamestown and the Birth of America.

This Library of America series edition is printed on acid-free paper and features Smyth-sewn binding, a full cloth cover, and a ribbon marker.

Project support for this volume was provided by The National Endowment for the Humanities.

This volume is available for adoption in the Guardian of American Letters Fund.
Table of Contents

Writings by Capt. John Smith
A True Relation
The Proceedings of the English Colonie in Virginia
A Description of New England
New Englands Trials
The Generall Historie of Virginia, New-England, and the Summer Isles
The True Travels
Advertisements for the Unexperienced Planters of New-England

Other Narratives of Roanoke, Jamestown, and the First English Settlement of America

Arthur Barlowe
Discourse of the First Voyage
THE FIRST ENGLISH VOYAGE TO VIRGINIA: 1584
The Journal of the Tiger
THE SECOND VOYAGE TO VIRGINIA: 1585

Ralph Lane
Discourse on the First Colony
ROANOKE: 1585-86

John White
Narrative of His Voyage
THE FOURTH VIRGINIA VOYAGE: 1587

Thomas Hariot
A Briefe and True Report
A DESCRIPTION OF VIRGINIA: 1588

John White
Narrative of the 1590 Voyage
THE FIFTH VIRGINIA VOYAGE: 1590

George Percy
Discourse
THE FOUNDING OF JAMESTOWN: 1606-7

Gabriel Archer
A Relatyon of the Discovery of Our River
EXPLORATION INLAND: 1607

Edward Maria Wingfield
A Discourse of Virginia
FAMINE AND DISEASE AT JAMESTOWN: 1607-8

Henry Spelman
Relation of Virginia
AN ENGLISH BOY AMONG THE INDIANS: 1609-11

William Strachey
A True Reportory
SHIPWRECK & RESCUE: 1609-10
From The Historie of Travell into Virginia Britania
THE INDIANS OF VIRGINIA: 1612

George Percy
A Trewe Relacyon
DISSENTION IN JAMESTOWN: 1609-12

Ralph Hamor
A True Discourse of the Present Estate of Virginia
EXPANDING THE COLONY: 1609-14

Lord De La Warre
A Short Relation
SECURING THE COLONY: 1610-11

John Rolfe
A True Relation of the State of Virginia
THE COLONY PROSPERS: 1616

33.75 List Price: $45.00 (Save: 25%) Free shipping on orders $50 and over

Or buy from our partners

Phone orders: 1-800-964-5778 Request product #201824

ISBN: 978-1-59853-001-8 1344 pages

LOA books are distributed worldwide by Penguin Random House

N° 171 Library of America Series

Subscribers can purchase the slipcased edition by signing in to their accounts.

Related Books

Francis Parkman: The Oregon Trail, The Conspiracy of Pontiac LOA N°53

John James Audubon: Writings & Drawings LOA N°113

William Bartram: Travels and Other Writings LOA N°84

Francis Parkman: France and England in North America: Volume Two LOA N°12

Francis Parkman: France and England in North America: Volume One LOA N°11

Library of America

CURATOR

A champion of America’s great writers and timeless works, Library of America guides readers in finding and exploring the exceptional writing that reflects the nation’s history and culture.

Learn More

PUBLISHER

From poetry, novels, and memoirs to journalism, crime writing, and science fiction, the more than 300 volumes published by Library of America are widely recognized as America’s literary canon.

Browse our books Subscribe

NON-PROFIT

With contributions from donors, Library of America preserves and celebrates a vital part of our cultural heritage for generations to come.

Support our mission

Capt. John Smith: Writings, with Other Narratives of Roanoke, Jamestown, and the First English Settlement of America

Related Books

Get 10% off your first Library of America purchase.