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.
#2659572 in Books Dundurn 2010-06-21Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 8.96 x .83 x 6.00l; 1.20 #File Name: 1554887364328 pages
Review
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Elusive quality along the wayBy Ontic HorizonNo local or regional history is free of its derelictions in style or dialectic amnesia--the Lakes especially; given that Huron; Superior; Ontario; Erie; and St. Clair front the U.S. and Canada (so is a gagger or a heller the same; that is; a terrific but not catastrophic storm as opposed to gale?) and bear the burden of two sets of jargon. However; the discovery of the Wexford seems to have brought from Huron's deeps more than the interesting archaic 'shelter rings' along the Alpena-Sarnia ridge.Carroll's account is direct; straightforward; and happily willing to err on the side of over-quoting primary source or accounts. There are few Melvillisms (an apparently unavoidable construction concerning the Lakes enscribed in _Moby Dick_ and quoted freely with reference to screaming crews--that is; a purple line that only Melville could get away with--once--or even he fell to its charms) but a well-apportioned history of the ship; its known construction; and those crew of local and regional memory. 1913 was a geophysical cataclysm on and around Huron; especially. The atmospheric physics reconstructions alone make you a touch queasy. Beyond that is the fact that multiple large and modern ships vanished. With as much at stake; Carrol provides the perfect blend of summary; regional maritime lore and wisdom; and first-hand accounts of the rediscovery of the salty. The only problem is the conversion to etext--you have to be on your toes to note the transitions to quotation in some cases and the magnificent photos will not expand. However; given the tales of plunder and looting (ahem...salvage...) perhaps the latter was intentional.Otherwise; delight in a telling; even if the tale is far from delightful. Carroll has managed the story and taken care with the memory--all in all; the kind of cataclysmic history represented by _Young Men and Fire_.2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. The Wexford?By CustomerWhile the book prepossess to be about the Wexford it more seems to be about everything else but. The book goes into great discussions about what the captains log supposedly looked like with supposed entries based upon the authors own experiences. Very little of the book is about the search or exploration about the wreck. More pages are devoted to how the wreck is being ruined by careless divers "stripping" her and how there is no provincial ways to stop it. The book would have made a better magazine story by leaving out most of the material and not repeating large sections multiple times. In addition there was no flow to the reading and not really any new information brought forward. I was very disappointed in the book and would not recommend it unless you know absolutely about the Wexford; shipwrecks; underwater searches or diving.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Very informative bookBy William MohneyThis is well written and packed full of information and details both from an objective and personal perspective. Well worth having in anyone's libraey
