The Shipwreck That Saved Jamestown: The Sea Venture Castaways and the Fate of America

Few history tales pack the excitement of Virginia's founding. Most accounts start with the 1607 Jamestown landing. But like Kieran Doherty in 2007's Sea Venture , historians Glover (Southern Sons ) and Smith (Inside the Great House ) focus on the desperate endeavors to rescue the colony from disaster after its first year. It's a rip-snortin' story of shipwreck, intrigue, horror, courage, risk, luck and will, and the authors milk it for all it's worth. Whether the wreck of the Sea Venture on Bermuda and its recovery as part of the fleet sent to save Jamestown was more important to “the fate of America” than the original 1607 settlement is open to question. That aside, the authors let the story unfold in all its inherent complexity, tragedy and suspense. Glover and Smith focus on the tale's human elements and its often harrowing, sometimes inspirational events with appropriate verve. The authors have brought the drama in the Chesapeake alive in all its gripping detail. (Aug.)