Capt. John Smith's True Travels
An Early Impression
Captain John Smith's True Travels (London, 1630) is a semi-autobiographical account of his exploits across multiple continents, blending factual narrative with self-aggrandizing embellishment. It is considered a kind of sequel to his earlier masterpiece Generall Historie of Virginia (1624). True Travels details his early military service in Eastern Europe and captivity by the Ottomans, as well as his later adventures in Virginia and New England. Written as a glorification of his career and leadership, it reflects both his genuine experiences and the writer's flair for dramatic storytelling, reinforcing Smith's legacy as a pivotal figure in early English colonial expansion.
Boies Penrose praises Smith's True Travels as a worthy complement, "in stirring prose," to his Generall Historie of Virginia, the latter "one of the prime works on America."
In fact, chapters 21-28 of True Travels form a self-styled expansion of the Generall Historie, with the individual chapters titled as follows:
21. The Continuation of the Generall History of Virginia; the Summer Iles; and New England; with their Present estate from 1624 to this present 1629.
22. The proceedings and present estate of the Summer Iles, from An. Dom. 1624 to this present 1629.
23. ... New England since 1624 to this present 1629.
24. A Brief discourse of divers voyages made unto the goodly country of Guiana, and the great River of the Amazons; relating also the present Plantation there.
25. ... the new plantation of St. Christopher by Captaine Warner.
27. The first plantation of the Ile of Mevis [i.e. Nevis]
This is an early impression, with most of the typographical points described in Sabin:
- Page 15 is misnumbered 13 (though page 34 is correctly numbered)
- In line 39 of page 54 the word "plantains" is mispelled "plantnais."
- In line 4 of page 60 the word "Moores" is printed "Moroes."
- In line 16 of page 60 "could wish" is printed "coul dwish."
- Page 44, no marginal note "Good Hospitality," found in most other examples.
Sabin describes two versions of the woodcut head-piece on the recto of A3. The present example has the "cupids and squirrels" version. The other headpiece incorporates the crowned symbols of England, France, Scotland, and Ireland: "In both varieties the printed page is from the same setting of type, one not being a reprint as wrongly stated by the Church Catalogue."
The folding engraved plate of Smith's adventures is lacking here, as usual. The 1819 Richmond partial reprinting of the second state of this plate is present, tipped into the binding.
Smith's coat of arms, engraved by Thomas Cecil, is here printed on the verso of the title page. In some copies the arms appear on a separate leaf facing the title, while in others the engraving is entirely missing.
Before [the book's] publication Purchas in his "Pilgrimes," vol. 2 (Lib. VIII, Chap. XI), 1625, printed some of the material, evidently using Smith's manuscript. Although not following the wording exactly, condensing and omitting a great deal... Arber says that for most part Smith's chapters 4-9 are reprints of "Puchas's translated Extracts from the Italian History or Biography of Francisco Farnese, the Secretary to Prince Sigismund Bátori... The account in the "True Travels" is more detailed than the "translation" in Purchas" - Sabin.
An essential work of 17th-century Americana.
Rarity
Very rare in the market. Only a single example noted as sold in RBH in the last 25 years.