Why did John Smith write his accounts of Virginia and New England?

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John Smith: Map of Virginia — American literature Map of Virginia from John Smith's *The Generall Historie of Virginia, New England, and the Summer Isles*, 1624.

John Smith wrote his accounts of Virginia and New England primarily to promote and encourage English colonization in North America. As a prolific writer and explorer, he vividly depicted the natural abundance of the New World to whet the colonizing appetite of prospective English settlers.1

His works, such as A Description of New England (1616) and The Generall Historie of Virginia, New England, and the Summer Isles (1624), served as both practical guides and promotional literature. By documenting the geography, resources, and potential of these regions, Smith aimed to sustain interest in the English settlement of the continent for the remainder of his life, even after he was no longer able to travel there himself. While some historians have noted that Smith was prone to self-promotion, his writings remain significant for their detailed observations and their role in shaping early perceptions of the American landscape.1