"What were the English reading about the "New World" in the early decades of colonization? This unique collection explores 10 primary documents - promotional tracts, reports to monarchs, travel narratives, and the like - from the late sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries to reveal the visions and motives of those who promoted emigration and those who participated in it. An introductory essay places these documents within the historical context of Europe and the Americas during the Age of Discovery. Also included are 16 contemporary engravings of Native Americans, questions to consider when reading the documents, a chronology of exploration and colonization in the Americas, a bibliography, and an index."--Jacket.