Karen Ordahl Kupperman - Captain John Smith: A Select Edition of His Writings

John Smith deserves to be read. All those familiar with early American history think we know what Smith thought; his life has been reduced to a series of familiar catchphrases. His work is therefore slighted in favor of that of his reputedly more thoughtful contemporaries. A pleasant surprise is in store for anyone who picks up Captain Smith and reads him in some depth. His treatment of Virginias founding and the process of settling among the Indians in an alien land is the best we have. He alone attempted to portray the complexity of Indian life and of the many-layered relationship between Americans and colonists, even looking beyond the confluence of short-range goals on both sides that led to initial trading relationships.

Smith has often been seen as a braggart, who wrote to magnify his own role in colonial affairs beyond all recognition. He dared to compare himself to Julius Caesar, who wrote his owne Commentaries, holding it no lesse honour to write, than fight (Sea Grammar, sig. A2 r ; Barbour edition, III, 47). It is true that Smith reworked the same material in several books, and he became more insistent on the importance of his own role with each retelling, but each new work was also a milestone in Smiths continuing effort to work out a consistent philosophy of colonization. His final book, Advertisements for the Unexperienced Planters of New England, or Any Where (1631), presented a thoughtful and coherent picture of the future British Empire, the only such plan written at the time by an actor. John Smith richly repays time spent reading his works; his writing illuminates the history of New England as well as Virginia.

One of the personal benefits of preparing this edition of John Smiths writings has been the opportunity to work with the Institute of Early American History and Culture. Nicholas Canny, Philip Morgan, Thad Tate, and Alden Vaughan all gave me the benefit of their knowledge of Smith and the context in which he worked. Cynthia Carter Ayres has strengthened the manuscript in many ways. I was always conscious of following in the footsteps of great scholars. The text for this edition is taken from Philip L. Barbours three-volume edition, The Complete Works of Captain John Smith (15801631), published for the Institute by the University of North Carolina Press in 1986. Barbour knew Smith and his life better than anyone else. The edition was completed after his death by Alison and David Quinn, who command the field of early exploration and colonization, and who are the models for all editors of historical documents.