A Voyage Lengthy and Unusual: Rediscovering the New World

The bestselling creator of Blue Latitudes takes us on an exhilarating and eye-opening voyage to pre-Mayflower America

On an opportunity go to to Plymouth Rock, Tony Horwitz realizes he is mislaid greater than a century of American historical past, from Columbus’s sail in 1492 to Jamestown’s founding in 16-oh-something. Did nothing occur in between? Decided to search out out, he embarks on a journey of rediscovery, following within the footsteps of the numerous Europeans who preceded the Pilgrims to America.

An irresistible mix of historical past, delusion, and misadventure, A Voyage Lengthy and Unusual captures the surprise and drama of first contact. Vikings, conquistadors, French voyageurs―these and lots of others roamed an unknown continent in quest of grapes, gold, converts, even a remedy for syphilis. Although most failed, their exceptional exploits left a permanent mark on the land and folks encountered by late-arriving English settlers.

Tracing this legacy together with his personal epic trek―from Florida’s Fountain of Youth to Plymouth’s sacred Rock, from desert pueblos to subarctic sweat lodges―Tony Horwitz explores the revealing hole between what we enshrine and what we neglect. Displaying his trademark expertise for humor, narrative, and historic perception, A Voyage Lengthy and Unusual permits us to rediscover the New World for ourselves.