About this book
A briefe discription of New England and the severall townes therein together with the present government thereof by Samuel Maverick delivers a vivid, first-hand account of early Massachusetts from one of its earliest English settlers. Written around 1660 and preserved as a manuscript later discovered in the British Museum, Maverick’s report blends travel description, civic observation, and practical detail about settlements, geography, and the workings of colonial government.
Maverick—who records arriving on Noddle’s Island (now East Boston) in 1624 and lived alongside figures like John Winthrop—maps the growth of towns, notes trade and defensive concerns, and sketches the social and administrative life of a nascent colony. As a primary-source piece of historical nonfiction, the text captures the language, assumptions, and priorities of 17th-century New England while illuminating how communities organized, governed, and related to their landscape during the Restoration era.
Ideal for listeners of early American history, colonial studies, and historical nonfiction, this audiobook offers scholars, genealogists, and curious readers an unvarnished look at the founding decades of New England. Listen to experience the authentic voice of an “old planter” and gain fresh insight into the origins of New England’s towns and government.
