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

"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

See a selection of plates from the book. (PDF, 682 KB)

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.

Read an excerpt from Chapter 5 of The Proceedings: "The accidents that happened in the discoverie of the bay." (PDF, 38 KB)

Also of interest:
The American Revolution: Writings from the War of Independence
Francis Parkman: France and England in North America

Visit the official Web site of Jamestown's 400th anniversary

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