Description of New England

In 1616, the year this book was published, the name 'New England' did not yet exist. Captain John Smith invented it, and this electrifying little account is the document that launched a region. Written during Smith's brief return to England after his years establishing Jamestown, the book synthesizes his explorations along the northern Atlantic coast into a passionate plea for colonization. He describes fertile lands, abundant fish, timber as far as the eye can see, and a climate he insists is kinder than rumor claims. The tone is relentless, almost desperate in its optimism: here, Smith argues, Englishmen can own land, grow tobacco, harvest timber, and build something greater than the struggling Virginia colony to the south. Smith's maps and prose proved devastatingly effective. Within a decade, the Plymouth Colony had landed, followed by waves of settlers who transformed the coast forever. The book remains essential reading for understanding how America was imagined before it was built.