This is the first of a two-volume work by Captain John Smith, the English adventurer and explorer who helped found Jamestown, the first permanent colony in North America.

Captain John Smith's history of Virginia, New-England, and the Summer Isles. Also included were maps and descriptions of the countries, peoples, customs and religions. Smith divided the book into six sections and included a table of contents, some margin notes and illustrations. Of note, this book was the source of the legend that Pocahontas "saved" Captain Smith (see page 49); it was not mentioned in prior writings.

These two volumes contain the personal accounts of Captain John Smith, one of the first settlers of Jamestown, an early member of the Council of the Colony, and later the colony's leader. In these works, the story of Pocahontas first appears.