The Landing of the Pilgrims

The Landing of the Pilgrims(Landmark Books), James Daugherty
(Random House, 1950), pb., 149 pp.

This was a much better book on the Pilgrims than the last one. Daugherty provides a good, accurate, well-told account of the Pilgrims from their time in England, to their flight to Holland, their eventual move to the New World and then their struggles over the crucial first three years. I really appreciated having this full scope of the story. You really can’t appreciate their labors and perseverance without the whole story.

This book is a straight forward telling of the story rather than a dramatized, fictional account. We typically enjoy the fictional stories best as they personalize the history through the eyes of a young boy or girl. However, this account was well done. It was not as dramatic as many other books we have enjoyed, but that is not its intent. My boys said they really enjoyed the book. One nice touch is the frequent quoting of accounts from some of the Pilgrims themselves (I have posted one quote on my pastoral ministry blog). I assume the quotes are primarily from William Bradford, but it is not made clear. Such clarity would be an improvement.

We recommend this book. You should know, though, that the quotes and the chapter titles tend to use older language which can be difficult. With a little explanation though you can make it through. One key point with the quotes is to realize that the letter “y” is used in place of “th”. This is never mentioned in the book, though a footnote to this effect would be helpful. Realizing this will make reading the quotes easier.

Lastly, while this is not presented as a religious book, it does handle well the Pilgrim’s faith. We would recommend this book.