A Kingdon Strange: The Breif And Trajic History Of The Lost Colony Of Roanoke (2000) - Plot & Excerpts
If you're expecting this book to be solely about what happened to the famous "Lost Colony," as the jacket copy indicates, you'll be disappointed. If you're expecting historical context that talks more about the whys and hows of Raleigh establishing a colony in America, this is right up your alley. There's a lot here about Raleigh's personal history, probably because there's the most source material about him. I would have liked to see more effort at tracking and characterizing the other players: Lane, White, Grenville, the Dares. I also would have liked to see more on the main attraction: the question of what happened to the colonists. Let's be honest...that's probably why you're interested in this book. It's discussed quickly, in the final few pages, without much effort to question what source material we have (especially Captain John Smith). A small book by Roanoke scholar David Beers Quinn (called "The Lost Colonists: Their Fortune and Probable Fate") does a much better job of this.There's a lot here about piracy, English foreign policy under Elizabeth I, and the constant conflict with the Spanish, both at sea and in North America. As long as you know that going in, you can appreciate this book for what it is. The jacket copy WAY oversells this as being about the settlers who disappeared. Read it if you want the big picture. If you want to focus on the details of what happened to the colonists, this isn't going to satisfy you. Although this account of the "lost" colony was a little heavy on the "he may have" and the "it is probable that," the extensive endnotes justify some extrapolation. A KINGDOM STRANGE is the kind of history book I relish: based on original sources, with multiple sources compared and connected, and placing the particular piece of history being examined firmly in the contexts of the past and the moment, it left me with a better sense of the world than I had before I read it.Highly recommended.
What do You think about A Kingdon Strange: The Breif And Trajic History Of The Lost Colony Of Roanoke (2000)?
Slow to get started, but ultimately interesting & readable with a logical & credible theory.
—freehuqs
Interesting historical account of exploration late in the reign of Elizabeth.
—jaime
Great book, it puts the Roanoke experience in its world/English context.
—angelos
too encyclopedic for me; I like lots of story with my facts!
—EmmaDenissa
