The following sections of this BookRags Literature Study Guide is offprint from Gale's For Students Series: Presenting Analysis, Context, and Criticism on Commonly Studied Works: Introduction, Author Biography, Plot Summary, Characters, Themes, Style, Historical Context, Critical Overview, Criticism and Critical Essays, Media Adaptations, Topics for Further Study, Compare & Contrast, What Do I Read Next?, For Further Study, and Sources.
(c)1998-2002; (c)2002 by Gale. Gale is an imprint of The Gale Group, Inc., a division of Thomson Learning, Inc. Gale and Design and Thomson Learning are trademarks used herein under license.
The following sections, if they exist, are offprint from Beacham's Encyclopedia of Popular Fiction: "Social Concerns", "Thematic Overview", "Techniques", "Literary Precedents", "Key Questions", "Related Titles", "Adaptations", "Related Web Sites". (c)1994-2005, by Walton Beacham.
The following sections, if they exist, are offprint from Beacham's Guide to Literature for Young Adults: "About the Author", "Overview", "Setting", "Literary Qualities", "Social Sensitivity", "Topics for Discussion", "Ideas for Reports and Papers". (c)1994-2005, by Walton Beacham.
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1579-1631
English soldier, explorer, and adventurer. The son of a Lincolnshire farmer, he completed his elementary school education before being apprenticed to a merchant in Cambridgeshire. Beginning in 1599, he fought against the Spaniards in the Netherlands and later with the Hungarians against the Turks, rising to the rank of captain in the Imperial Army. Wounded, captured, and sold into slavery by the Turks, he escaped, later serving on a French privateer off the Moroccan coast. In 1606 Smith sailed with the Jamestown Expedition to Virginia, serving for a time as president of the colony. He explored the Potomac River region, learned much about Indian society, and became an enthusiastic promoter of English colonization in the New World. Returning to England in 1609, he briefly explored and mapped New England (which he first named) in 1614. Most of his remaining years were spent in England, writing at least eight books, including The Generall Historie of Virginia, New England, and the Summer Isles (1624) and The True Travels, Adventures, and Observations of Captain John Smith (1630). His maps and writings have much historical value.