Prospero's America - (Published by the Omohundro Institute of Early American Histo) by Walter W Woodward (Paperback)

About the Book

Prospero's America: John Winthrop, Jr., Alchemy, and the Creation of New England Culture, 1606-1676

Book Synopsis

In Prospero's America, Walter W. Woodward examines the transfer of alchemical culture to America by John Winthrop, Jr., one of English colonization's early giants. Winthrop participated in a pan-European network of natural philosophers who believed alchemy could improve the human condition and hasten Christ's Second Coming. Woodward demonstrates the influence of Winthrop and his philosophy on New England's cultural formation: its settlement, economy, religious toleration, Indian relations, medical practice, witchcraft prosecution, and imperial diplomacy. Prospero's America reconceptualizes the significance of early modern science in shaping New England hand in hand with Puritanism and politics.

Review Quotes

"[A] magnificently rich, wide-ranging, and suggestive book. . . . Holds important implications for the study not only of early American history but also the history of science. . . . A 'must read' for all historians of early New England and for historians of early modern science." -- Common-Place

"[A] wide ranging study. . . . An excellent, adventurous introduction to the place of alchemy in early New England culture and by far the best scholarly integration of Winthrop's alchemical interests with his other pursuits." -- American Historical Review

"A fascinating interpretation of New England history that challenges the traditional narrative." -- C&RL News

"A milestone in the study of John Winthrop Jr. . . . A first-rate study that radically changes our understanding of the younger Winthrop." -- Journal of American History

"In a strikingly alchemical mixture, this book combines politics, economics, science, industry, warfare, and religion, and manages to create that most treasured of prizes -- a fascinating portrait of a man who, while not unknown, is not as well known as perhaps is appropriate. . . . Readers will find many of their assumptions about Puritan New England challenged and ultimately revised. . . . Highly recommended." -- CHOICE

"In his fine biography . . . Woodward's portrait of the younger Winthrop illuminates a particularly rich seventeenth-century life; one that clearly strides in the direction of the Enlightenment, if it does not have one foot there already." -- Times Literary Supplement

"Intriguing. . . . Thoroughly researched, highly readable, and insightful." -- Early American Literature

"Marks a great leap forward in the integration of science studies with the grand tradition of colonial New England historiography, as well as in the integration of New England into studies of the early modern Atlantic world. . . . [Woodward] displays a sure hand in providing the best available account of the predisciplinary career of New England's most multidimensional founder." -- ##American Historical Review#

"The story is good, revealing how the scientific method emerged from empirical alchemy and giving a brilliant new interpretation of Winthrop's supposed change in attitude toward colonial potentials in his later years." -- Early American Life

"Woodward has written two books in one -- a new biography of John Winthrop Jr. and a groundbreaking examination of the importance of alchemy in the first decades of New England's settlement. . . . An important contribution." -- New England Quarterly

About the Author

Walter W. Woodward is Connecticut state historian and associate professor of history at the University of Connecticut.