In 1897, the Brewster Book Manuscript came to the attention of Pilgrim scholar George Ernest Bowman. It contained a large number of genealogical entries from the descendants of William Brewster, starting with the birth of Jonathan Brewster at Scrooby in 1593, and continuing well into the 19th century as the book was passed down the family. He published these genealogical entries between 1899 and 1904 in the Mayflower Descendant. Unnoticed at the time was the fact that there was, in addition to the genealogical material, hundreds of pages of historical texts: provision lists, letters from early Virginia and early Plymouth Colony, patents, commissions, instructions on how to transport people and cattle, alchemy notes from Jonathan Brewster, drawings of horses. Transcribed for the first time, with images of all the original pages opposite the transcription, this book represents a valuable new primary source for the study of the Pilgrims, Plymouth Colony, and the settlements of both Virginia and New England.

Governor William Bradford's own history, Of Plymouth Plantation, is the ultimate primary source for Plymouth Colony.  This edition, edited by me, also includes the Pilgrims' journals for their first year at Plymouth, often nicknamed "Mourt's Relation."  My edition also includes a number of images and documents.  I strongly encourage you to get the hardcover version: at 620+ pages the softcover does not hold up all that well, and this will be a book you refer to frequently if you have any interest in the Pilgrims.  If you like the cover artwork by Mike Haywood, it is available as a giclee print on the Paintings and Prints page.

PLEASE BE FOREWARNED.  The text of these primary source books are all available in full, for free, on my website, on the Primary Sources page.  I am including these in the bookstore for those who want to read and study them in book form rather than trying to read or study something online. In some cases it is almost cheaper to buy these very inexpensive books than waste paper and ink printing out something from the Internet.  Also, "Mourt's Relation" is included, in full, in my Of Plymouth Plantation edition above, so you would not need to purchase it separately.