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OF PLYMOUTH PLANTATION,
by William Bradford.
Bradford’s Journal is the single most important source for Pilgrim history. There are many different editions of this first-hand account of Plymouth Colony’s beginnings. Samuel Eliot Morison’s classic edition includes a description of the loss and rediscovery of the manuscript itself. The annotated 400th anniversary edition, published in 2020 by the Colonial Society and New England Historic Genealogical Society, includes notes by leading Pilgrim scholars and an introduction by Wampanoag researcher Paula Peters |
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MOURT’S RELATION: A JOURNAL OF THE PILGRIMS AT PLYMOUTH.
Introduction by Dwight B. Heath. Applewood.
Next in importance to Bradford’s account is this short eyewitness report of the landing and the first months of the Plymouth community. The writing is believed to be a joint effort by Edward Winslow and William Bradford. |
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THREE VISITORS TO EARLY PLYMOUTH.
Sydney V. James, Jr., Editor. Applewood.
In the decade after the 1620 landing, three letter writers penned vivid descriptions of their impressions of Plymouth Colony, including an account of Governor Bradford’s wedding and the crafts and customs of the Native People. |
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JOHN JOSSELYN, COLONIAL TRAVELER, a critical edition of Two Voyages to New England, edited by Paul J. Lindholdt. University Press of New England. Josselyn’s life and colonial observations are seen from his experiences in New England.
Also available: NEW-ENGLANDS RARITIES DISCOVERED, John Josselyn’s description of "New World" flora and fauna. A Massachusetts Historical Society reprint of the 1672 edition. |
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GOOD NEWES FROM NEW ENGLAND,
by Edward Winslow. Applewood.
This important 1624 document, at long last available, provides vivid first-hand descriptions of important Native American and Pilgrim leaders, including Winslow’s dosing the ill Massasoit and Standish scouring the pleasure loving English settlement of Merry Mount. Rich in adventure and revealing detail, this is an essential primary source. |
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SECONDARY SOURCE MATERIAL |
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PILGRIM MIGRATION:
IMMIGRANTS TO PLYMOUTH COLONY, 1620-1633
by Robert Charles Anderson.
New England Historic Genealogical Society
Leading genealogical scholar Robert Charles Anderson provides richly detailed biographies of early Plymouth Colony families in this essential Pilgrim reference work. |
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THE MAYFLOWER & HER PASSENGERS,
by Caleb H. Johnson.
Xlibris.
Historian and genealogist Caleb Johnson focuses on the personal lives of the Mayflower passengers. In addition to biographies of each passenger, this volume includes a ground-breaking biography of the ship Mayflower itself. |
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MAYFLOWER:
A STORY OF COURAGE, COMMUNITY, AND WAR
by Nathaniel Philbrick.
Penguin Books.
This highly readable account of America’s beginnings in New England by acclaimed author Nathaniel Philbrick reignites the story of the Plymouth Colony in vivid detail. |
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MAKING HASTE FROM BABYLON:
THE MAYFLOWER PILGRIMS & THEIR WORLD,
by Nick Bunker.
Vintage Books.
British author Nick Bunker uses new evidence to consider the transatlantic origins of the Pilgrim colony, and uncover a rich web of entrepreneurial interests, religious idealism, and political radicalism. |
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THEY KNEW THEY WERE PILGRIMS:
PLYMOUTH COLONY AND THE CONTEST FOR AMERICAN LIBERTY
by John G. Turner.
Yale University Press.
Turner’s sweeping account of the Pilgrims from start to finish deftly probes their complex and often unsettling relationship to liberty, and gives new meanings to an old familiar story. |
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OUR BELOVED KIN:
A NEW HISTORY OF KING PHILIP’S WAR
by Lisa Brooks.
Yale University Press.
Pathbreaking scholarship by historian Lisa Brooks analyzes colonial New England’s origins with a focus on Native society and culture, relationships between colonizers and Native peoples, and indigenous resistance during King Philip’s War. |
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MEMORY LANDS:
KING PHILIP’S WAR AND THE PLACE OF VIOLENCE IN THE NORTHEAST
by Christine DeLucia.
Yale University Press.
Historian Christine DeLucia re-examines the devastating colonial conflict known as King Philip’s War, and examines changing meanings of homelands for Native peoples who confronted settler colonial expansion in a turbulent era. |
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A LITTLE COMMONWEALTH:
FAMILY LIFE IN PLYMOUTH COLONY,
by John Demos.
Oxford.
Although sometimes superseded by more recent research, this durable classic outlines the human complexities of the first settlers, and poses questions about their everyday lives and cultural perspectives. |
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INDIAN NEW ENGLAND BEFORE THE MAYFLOWER,
by Howard S. Russell.
University Press of New England.
A rich and detailed study of the regional native people both before and after contact with Europeans, this provides many insights and a balanced understanding of our early history |
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COMING OVER: MIGRATION & COMMUNICATION BETWEEN ENGLAND & NEW ENGLAND IN THE 17TH CENTURY,
by David Cressy. Cambridge University Press.
Why did a great wave of English people brave a "vast and furious ocean" and settle in an unknown wilderness? An enormous variety of primary source material skillfully collated reveals motives and much else about the Great Migration. Recommended for high school and college students. |
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THE NAME OF WAR: KING PHILIP'S WAR & THE ORIGINS OF AMERICAN IDENTITY,
by Jill Lepore. Knopf.
Scarcely more than a footnote in traditional history text books, the 17th century conflict known as King Philip's War (1675-1676) devastated more lives and property than any other in our history. Speculating from contemporary accounts, the author of this thought-provoking volume reinterprets the issues with modern sensibility. Perhaps most intriguing is a coda on the Native American warrior as he was played in the 19th century theater. |
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DEBTS HOPEFUL AND DESPERATE,
by Ruth McIntyre.
Plimoth Plantation. Bradford's history is fraught with his anxiety over the Pilgrims' precarious entangled finances. This slim volume recreates the economic climate and the long struggle for the settlement of the Colony's debt. |
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ESPECIALLY FOR THE YOUNG |
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THREE YOUNG PILGRIMS,
by Cheryl Harness.
Bradbury.
Rollicking illustrations and a carefully researched text make this publication a real find. An entertaining introduction to history and highly recommended for young readers. |
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CORN IS MAIZE: THE GIFT OF THE INDIANS,
written and illustrated by Aliki.
A Let’s-Read-and-Find-Out Science Book, Harper Trophy. Good illustrations and a light but learned text show how Native Americans cultivated corn and shared their knowledge with the early settlers. For ages 5-9. |
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TURKEYS, PILGRIMS, AND INDIAN CORN: THE STORY OF THE THANKSGIVING SYMBOLS,
by Edna Barth, illustrated by Ursula Arndt. Clarion.
Elementary teachers will like this pumpkin-bright booklet which provides a full helping of information, some familiar, some surprising. |
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 SARAH MORTON’S DAY: A DAY IN THE LIFE OF A PILGRIM GIRL,
by Kate Waters, color photographs by Russ Kendall. Scholastic.
The camera follows a Plimoth Plantation costumed interpreter on her rounds. Two companion books, A DAY IN THE LIFE OF SAMUEL EATON and TAPENUM'S DAY: A WAMPANOAG BOY IN PILGRIM TIMES, are also available. |
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MOLLY’S PILGRIM,
by Barbara Cohen, illustrated by Michael Deraney. Bantam Skylark.
Classmates jeer at Molly’s Thanksgiving doll dressed in Russian clothes. An understanding teacher explains that the Pilgrim story is still happening. This small book has become a much-loved classic. |
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PILGRIM VOICES: OUR FIRST YEAR IN THE NEW WORLD,
edited by Connie and Peter Roop, illustrated by Shelley Pritchett. Walker.
This collage of original eyewitness reports is balanced by strong picture material. This book will challenge as well as entertain young readers. Recommended as a good transition from the "Pilgrim Story" approach to primary source historical study. |
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 STRANDED AT PLIMOTH PLANTATION -- 1626,
written and illustrated by Gary Bowen. Harper Collins, 1994.
Woodcuts and a fictional journal provide a new look at the Pilgrim community through the eyes of a thirteen-year-old passenger on the ill-fated Sparrow-Hawk. The story is based on Bradford’s journal and the ship’s remains are on display in Pilgrim Hall. The young artist’s point of view offers new perspectives and opportunities for discussion. |
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STRAWBERRY THANKSGIVING,
by Paula Jennings, illustrated by Ramona Peters. Modern Curriculum Press / Boston Children’s Museum.
For Native Americans, the strawberry season is a time of celebration, like Thanksgiving. This heartwarming yet realistic story brings together traditions past and present -- and a family as well. Highly recommended for elementary grades. |
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THE WAMPANOAG AND THE FIRST THANKSGIVING.
Story Path Series, Everyday Learning Corporation.
Preschoolers and kindergartners will add ecological awareness throughout the seasons. |
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THE PILGRIMS AT PLYMOUTH,
by Lucille Recht Penner. Illustrated by S.D. Schindler. Random House, Picture Landmark Books.
Crammed almost off its pages by captivating details -- some serious, some comic -- this Pilgrim story could lure lagging middle schoolers to want to discover more. |
These recommended books should be available through your school library or public library. Many (although not all) are still in print and available for purchase. Many of these books, along with other reference materials, are available from the Pilgrim Hall Museum Shop.
