"Good News from New England" by Edward Winslow: A Scholarly Edition

by Edward Winslow, Kelly Wisecup (Editor)

First published in 1624, Edward Winslow's Good News from New England chronicles the early experience of the Plimoth colonists, or Pilgrims, in the New World. For several years Winslow acted as the Pilgrims' primary negotiator with New England Algonquians, including the Wampanoag, Massachusett, and Narragansett Indians. During this period he was credited with having cured the Wampanoag sachem Massasoit, one of the colonists' most valuable allies, of an apparently life-threatening illness, and he also served as the Pilgrims' chief agent in England.

It was in the context of all of these roles that Winslow wrote Good News in an attempt to convince supporters in England that the colonists had established friendly relations with Native groups and, as a result, gained access to trade goods. Although clearly a work of diplomacy, masking as it did incidents of brutal violence against Indians as well as evidence of mutual mistrust, the work nevertheless offers, according to Kelly Wisecup, a more complicated and nuanced representation of the Pilgrims' first years in New England and of their relationship with Native Americans than other primary documents of the period.

In this scholarly edition, Wisecup supplements Good News with an introduction, additional primary texts, and annotations to bring to light multiple perspectives, including those of the first European travelers to the area, Native captives who traveled to London and shaped Algonquian responses to colonists, the survivors of epidemics that struck New England between 1616 and 1619, and the witnesses of the colonists' attack on the Massachusetts.

Genres: History, Historical, Nonfiction

200 pages, Hardcover

First published August 1, 1996

Reviews

[Stephen Drew · Rating 4 out of 5]

This work is exemplary scholarship. Wisecup does an incredible helpful job of maintaining the primary source content while also making slight adjustments and footnotes to make it easily understandable and readable. I wish there was this level of scholarship for many more works of the puritans and founding fathers. Although Wisecup seems to have a view that puts more weight on the study of the natives rather than puritans, she still does a phenomenal job of being objective.

Although only a small portion of the book is actually Winslow’s “Good News from New England” the introduction as well as the additional original documents are excellent contributions. The bibliography is also golden.

For anyone interested in study of the Plymouth plantation, this will be a high recommendation.

[Jeffrey Williams · Rating 3 out of 5]

Edward Winslow's account of the establishment of the Plymouth Colony was instrumental in inspiring others to make the trip across the Atlantic Ocean back in the 1620s, so it definitely is an important work in American history. This really should be titled, "Mourt's Relations - Part II" since Winslow was one of the principle writers of that book, and this one covers things that happened since Mourt's Relations was released.

The writing is pretty dull by 21st century standards, but keep in mind that it was written in the 17th century and was common for its day. Not stimulating reading, but nonetheless important to understanding early American history.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good Newes from New England is a worthy read albeit not an easy one. This Edward Winslow tract written in 1624 is most informative in describing the early days of the Pilgrims at Plymouth; however, the text is as originally written by Winslow, so reading and comprehending content written in the style of the day was slow and cumbersome. The footnotes at the end (1841) did help with context and meaning.

[Donna Peake · Rating 4 out of 5]

Edward Winslow writes and describes the early days of the Pilgrims. This book was a long read but very informative about the Pilgrims and their settlement in America. It was a struggle that's for sure but thank goodness these hardy people never gave up.

[Dwight]

http://bookcents.blogspot.com/2010/02...

Edward Winslow contributed a major slice of Mourt’s Relation and picks up chronologically where that tract finishes, covering most of 1622 and 1623’s events in Plymouth colony. Good Newes also addresses the type of people that should attempt to settle in New England. Like Mourt’s Relation, the writing and publication of Good Newes comes shortly after the events covered while Bradford’s Of Plymouth Plantation was compiled years later (and not published for several centuries).

Winslow notes that God saved the Pilgrims, acknowledging that the Indians could have “easily swallowed us up” if “God had let them loose”. I don’t recall Winslow quoting any Scripture in this work which stands in marked contrast to the other books I read. Rowlandson could not go a page without a quote. Bradford quoted from many works and not just the Bible—I remember seeing Seneca and Pliny in his memoir, for example. But Winslow’s work repeatedly credits God in assisting the Pilgrims, even (or especially) when they did not know how close they might have been to ruin. Events occur at God’s pleasure, whether the outcome is good or bad for the English, which is consistent with the other writers. They believe bad events happen because of estrangement from God. Winslow’s dedication makes clear several items about the Pilgrims, or at least how they viewed themselves. They did not see themselves as fanatics but stress the importance of providing a Christian example to the Indians. The difficulty and hard work required in settling in New England is not hidden from readers but feels glossed over at times.

(more at the link)

[Jessica]

What struck me about Winslow's account is how jaded it seems after reading the works of Columbus and De Vaca. Winslow and his band of pilgrims are not as impressed by the New World. Indeed, even in this little piece of propaganda, Winslow is careful not to make New England sound too great lest the place be overrun by silly European vacationers who don't know the value of a long winter's starvation. Also, there is something incredibly stunted about Winslow's prose, which makes his tale seem somewhat boring in comparison to the works of other early settlers.

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting and enlightening.