Encounters in the New World: A History in Documents (Pages from History) - Softcover

Students of American history will find plenty to chew on in this meaty, heavily illustrated entry in the new Pages from History series....Beginning with a full-color section, the pictures are...heavy on maps that chart the world's expansion in the European consciousness and including often fanciful scenes that in many cases are all that is left of vanished Native American cultures.... [Lepore] draws from a host of hard-to-find sources, and creates a ghastly, compelling picture of one of human history's pivotal moments. (Kirkus Reviews)

A wealth of primary source materials...an eye-opening look at the 'discovery' of the New World....Nearly every page features a black-and-white period reproduction, most with captions giving additional information...full-color reproductions of historical maps. In addition to offering valuable perspectives, this book will introduce readers to the challenges involved in understanding the past. (School Library Journal)

Presents primary source material (diaries, letters, maps, illustrations)

The author does an excellent job of introducing these documents, filling in their historical context, and pointing out their salient features....This volume provides a balance to traditional texts by presenting the voices of people not often heard, who suffered from European colonization of the new world. Classroom discussions and individual reports will be enriched....Recommended. (Book Report)

Promises to be both useful and capable of holding student interest....Contains many clear, large, and easy-to-use charts, diagrams, and pictures. The sixteen-page map section is a delight that students will find fascinating....Well-edited and beautifully illustrated. (OAH Magazine of History)

Almost all history teachers believe that the best way for students to 'catch' history is to read prime sources, not just textbook summaries. [This] fulfills that purpose superbly! The author's commentaryis readable, helpful, and connects the documents well.I'd buy the whole set for middle or high school libraries. (Library Materials Guide)

From Columbus's voyage in 1492 to the publication of the autobiography of Olaudah Equiano, a former slave, in 1789, Jill Lepore, winner of the distinguished Bancroft Prize for history, brings to life in exciting, first-person detail some of the earliest events in American history in Encounters in the New World.
Providing fascinating commentary along the way, Lepore seamlessly links together primary sources that illustrate the powerful clash of cultures in the Americas. Through emotional eyewitness accounts ― memoirs, petitions, diaries, captivity narratives, private correspondence ― formal documents, official reports, and journalistic reportage, dramatic stories of the New World are revealed, including:
* A Jesuit priest's chronicle of life among his Iroquois captors
* Aztec records of forbidding omens
* John Smith's account of cannibalism among the British residents of Jamestown
* Memoirs by members of Cortes's expedition
* Reminiscences of an escaped slave
A special 16-page color cartographic section, including maps from both Europe and North America, provides a fascinating look at how the maps' creators saw themselves and the world around them.