I had read American historian Nathaniel Philbrick's excellent book, Mayflower, about ten years ago. That book centered largely on the already arrived Pilgrims and was set largely during King Phillip's War (1675-1676). English journalist Nick Bunker's also excellent account of the Mayflower Pilgrims begins before they set sail for the New World, and gives us a rich glimpse of the lives of the men and women who made that fateful voyage. Details of these Separatists' lives were taken from church and church records in England. The book is long and meanders at times, but it gave me some new insights into the motivations of the travelers. From this account, I learned that the Pilgrim's goal was more than just religious freedom. Separatism, according to Bunker, was Christianity blended with ideas about gentility and good government, and seasoned with Greek and Roman ideals of republican virtue. Their decision to flee England had both religious and economic inducements, and the sailing of the Mayflower was also a business venture whose backers were looking to make a financial killing. This history adds some new dimension to the story of America. ( )

The Mayflower colony's economic underpinnings take up much of this book -- half of it takes place in England, and much of the rest along New World trade routes. Thanksgiving is a sidebar here, and most pilgrims are minor characters. My copy from the Chicago Public Library was also instructive on how the city is closing its budget gap: It included a blue slip of paper saying "A review copy from Alfred A. Knopf" with the phone number and email of the author's publicist.

I sought this out because I read and enjoyed a different book by the same author, [b:An Empire on the Edge: How Britain Came to Fight America|20165935|An Empire on the Edge How Britain Came to Fight America|Nick Bunker|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1400887101s/20165935.jpg|28026787]

This book was interesting and gave an incredible overview of the times and a great deal of insight into the circumstances under which New England was settled. In particular, I found the fact that the New England colonies originally paid their way with beaver pelts very interesting, and this is hardly ever brought up in the traditional accounts. I also found the discussion of the Mayflower Compact very interesting, and it is definitely one of the legal documents the Framers drew on (among other things, it specified the wishes of the people outweighed those of crown if it ever came to making a choice between the two). The idea that New England never would have taken off had it not been possible to import cattle was also interesting and something I had never thought of before. And there is a lot more to the story as well. Unfortunately, there wasn’t as much unity in the narrative as there was in [b:An Empire on the Edge: How Britain Came to Fight America|20165935|An Empire on the Edge How Britain Came to Fight America|Nick Bunker|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1400887101s/20165935.jpg|28026787], and I enjoyed that book more. ( )

I sought this out because I read and enjoyed a different book by the same author, [b:An Empire on the Edge: How Britain Came to Fight America|20165935|An Empire on the Edge How Britain Came to Fight America|Nick Bunker|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1400887101s/20165935.jpg|28026787]

This book was interesting and gave an incredible overview of the times and a great deal of insight into the circumstances under which New England was settled. In particular, I found the fact that the New England colonies originally paid their way with beaver pelts very interesting, and this is hardly ever brought up in the traditional accounts. I also found the discussion of the Mayflower Compact very interesting, and it is definitely one of the legal documents the Framers drew on (among other things, it specified the wishes of the people outweighed those of crown if it ever came to making a choice between the two). The idea that New England never would have taken off had it not been possible to import cattle was also interesting and something I had never thought of before. And there is a lot more to the story as well. Unfortunately, there wasn’t as much unity in the narrative as there was in [b:An Empire on the Edge: How Britain Came to Fight America|20165935|An Empire on the Edge How Britain Came to Fight America|Nick Bunker|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1400887101s/20165935.jpg|28026787], and I enjoyed that book more. ( )

This is the way a good historian is supposed to research and write. Nick Bunker delved into numerous archives, finding sources previous historians have forgotten, and come up with some new tidbits. But, more importantly than this, he puts the "Pilgrims" in their historical context: reaching back to the 1580s and the reign of Elizabeth and elucidating events in England, Ireland, Scotland, France, Holland, and New England that impact and impinge on the lives of the Separatists and others who first went to Plimouth/Plymouth in 1620. The result is more interesting and full than "some Scrooby dissenting Puritans wanted religious liberty, moved to Leiden in Holland and then went to New England." The Pilgrims were religious, Bunker does not detract from that, but, he also notes just how much politics, warfare, and economics lay behind the urge to emigrate, the timing of the movement, and the results of the movement. The result is an easy-to-read and engaging new account that tells the story of the New England colonization in a way that should be the start for any New Englander interested in the history of the place, students of US history, transatlantic history, and scholars of Elizabethan England. It is a fine book. Good maps and illustrations (though more of the latter would have been interesting and could be done). A fine set of endnotes and "Further Reading" section. One of the best books on American colonization i have read in awhile. ( )