A True Relation of Such Occurrences and Accidents of Note as Hath Hapned in Virginia Since the First Planting of that Colony, which is now resident in the South part thereof, till the last returne from thence by John Smith

In this account of what happened in Virginia's early history, Pocahontas's famous rescue of its author, John Smith, is nowhere to be found. The text, however, reveals more than it means to about the author's captivity. Its tone is justificatory, and Smith appears to be lying or exaggerating in several places. This piece is enjoyable both in its place in the (self-constructed) Smith legends and in the process of filling in the gaps and lacunae in the text.

The Generall Historie of Virginia, New-England, and the Summer Isles by Captain John Smith

In this document John Smith gathers and edits a collection of accounts of English experiences in North America. I'm interested in this book's generic mixture: it's part economic treatise (how expensive would it be to fit out an expedition/colony and fish in North America), part history (of Roanoke, Jamestown, Plymouth, and Bermuda, no less), and part natural history/ethnography. I think this mixture is related to the fact that the colonial experience is pretty new to the British at this point, and they're still making sense of how to understand it. There's also a great vocabulary list giving an account of native words. Many are related to warfare and to the presence of the English. I'm also interested in how much of this treatise Smith hasn't authored himself (there's a lot of first-hand accounts from other people to fill out areas where Smith wasn't) and in the presence of the Pocahontas legend (notably absent from Smith's earlier work about Virginia). All in all, a fascinating read.

A Brief and True Report of the New Found Land of Virginia by Thomas Harriot

This book, which reprints the 1589 edition, is a fascinating account of early colonial history in the Americas. It contains descriptions of the products that might be exported, the food that could sustain colonists, and ethnographic reports of the indigenous peoples. In addition to the first part of the book, which must be read partially as propaganda convincing people to come to the area, there are illustrations of the native people, done by John White (whose granddaughter Virginia Dare disappeared with the Roanoke colonists), and also some drawings of Picts (to show the savage roots from which British civilization had risen). All in all a lovely book. A bit difficult because it exactly reproduces typeface and spellings used in the original.

John Hartwell Cocke and Bremo: A Study of Plantation Life by Catherine Helliar-Symon

This monograph gives a basic account of the life of John Hartwell Cocke in conjunction with his plantation Bremo, south of Charlottesville. To begin, it's very short and only really covers plantation experiences (for example, I know from other sources that this man was a general--but I'm not sure which war! My guess is 1812). It also took a while to get to the information I wanted (he started a school for his slaves on his plantation). Finally, this book couched Cocke as the very best of paternalism, and that attitude always makes me leery. But, it was a quick introduction to a figure I wanted to know more about.