Captain John Smith

by Charles Dudley Warner

This is the true story of an English soldier who, after many adventures including fighting in the Crusades against the Turks, was sent to establish a colony in Virginia along with 3 ships and a large number of colonists. The settlement was called Jamestown. Many believe that Smith's exploits were highly embroidered by the man himself and that he was indeed a very unpleasant person, but this is still a very interesting slice of Early American history.

Genres: History

106 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1881

About the author

Charles Dudley Warner was an American essayist, novelist, and friend of Mark Twain, with whom he co-authored the novel The Gilded Age: A Tale of Today.

Warner travelled widely, lectured frequently, and was actively interested in prison reform, city park supervision, and other movements for the public good. He was the first president of the National Institute of Arts and Letters, and, at the time of his death, was president of the American Social Science Association.

Reviews

[Shannon McNear · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good companion volume for the primary sources...

More readable than Smith's own accounts alone, this makes for good comparison when studying the life of Captain John Smith. Recommended.

[David Horney]

The primary point of this book (written in the late 19th century) is to debunk the 17th century “myth” of Captain John Smith. Smith is portrayed as a boor, braggart and insufferable egotist. Many of his adventures grow by leaps and bounds as he tells and retells them over the years. Many bear a suspicious resemblance to previously published works. Much of what is known about Smith comes from his own writings—he indisputably played a huge role in keeping the colony of Virginia alive during the 2.5 years he was there. Apparently he so annoyed those who had to interact with him on a daily basis that he was shut out from further commissions.

[Cornelio Cano guzmán]

This is a very good book about early USA history.