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Posted By : Edward Knight - 11/26/2006 9:19 PM
Again, I am diving into one of Nathaniel Philbrick's books (Mayflower) and loving it. I've mentioned this writer on this board before and highly recommend anything he writes. His detailed research is what really gets me going.
 
Many writers have attacked the traditional Mayflower/Pilgrim saga before. Philbrick backs it up with a world of documentation (ships logs, ledgers, diaries that are cross referenced...) that paints a realistic picture of what life was like before  they left England (it all started in Holland btw)during the voyage, and after the Pilgrims arrive at Plymouth. It's an amazing tale to be reading, especially at this time of year.
 
Good stuff for my occasional switch away from speculative fiction.


Edward Knight
Editor
Journey Books Publishing
Amazing Journeys Magazine

http://www.journeybookspublishing.com
http://www.journeybooksonline.com


Posted By : nathan - 11/28/2006 5:31 PM

I agree whole-heartedly. Loved this book and read it in about four days. Very good writing.

Not to be Un-PC but it really gave me a feeling that the over simplification of white vs. indians has really been (as I wrote) over simplified into jingonistic terms.

While there was some definate Pilgrim vs. Native sheenanigans the indian tribes were all heavily involved in politics against each other and most other Anglo groups were no real fans of the Pilgrims. The whole north-eastern seaboard seemed like an early version of the middle east or something, just a convuluted mess of competeing interests.

Great book.


VIEW IMAGE
"Writing the wet dreams of teenage boys" - Lindsey Llyod, Tangent Reviews
 
Tarantino himself has been forward and unapologetic about his influences. In a 1994 interview with Empire magazine, he said, "I steal from every single movie ever made. If people don't like that, then tough tills, don't go and see it, all right? I steal from everything. Great artists steal, they don't do homages."


Posted By : Edward Knight - 12/1/2006 8:34 AM
And it's amazing to me how great a part disease had in American history. The book saya that between the time settlers arrived in Jamestown and the time the Pilgrims came to Plymouth that 90-100% of some tribes had been wiped out by the plague and other diseases. The pilgrims settled in what appears to have been a Native ghost town, literaly built over the bones of natives that had died in previous years.

Philbrick says that the North American Seaboard had a population greater than England before the Europeans came over. Can you imagine the struggle between Europe and Natives had disease not dwindled the natives down to nothing? It appears to me that native bows were more that a match for he wick type musckets the Pilgrims had. I'm not sure we'd be here today if disease had not worked in the Europeans' favor.


Edward Knight
Editor
Journey Books Publishing
Amazing Journeys Magazine

http://www.journeybookspublishing.com
http://www.journeybooksonline.com


Posted By : Edward Knight - 12/1/2006 8:36 AM
I'm oly a third of the way through with the book, btw. Do don't give the ending away. :-)

I had to pull away from it to finish reading the novel Terry Gizelbach sent me. Terry's book is going to be great. I hope someone has the foresight to publish it.


Edward Knight
Editor
Journey Books Publishing
Amazing Journeys Magazine

http://www.journeybookspublishing.com
http://www.journeybooksonline.com