Editing John Smith (explorer) (section)

===Additional works===
''A Map of Virginia'' is focused centrally on the observations that Smith made about the Native Americans, particularly regarding their religion and government. This specific focus would have been Smith's way of adapting to the New World by assimilating the best parts of their culture and incorporating them into the colony. ''A Map of Virginia'' was not just a pamphlet discussing the observations that Smith made, but also a map which Smith had drawn himself, to help make the Americas seem more domestic. As Lemay remarks, "maps tamed the unknown, reduced it to civilisation and harnessed it for Western consciousness," promoting Smith's central theme of encouraging the settlement of America.{{sfn|Lemay|1991|p=42}} Many "naysayers of the late nineteenth and early twentieth century" have made the argument that Smith's maps were not reliable because he "lacked a formal education in cartography".{{sfn|Lemay|1991|p=43}} That allegation, however, was proved false by the fact that Smith was a "master in his chosen fields of experience".{{sfn|Lemay|1991|p=43}}

''[https://web.archive.org/web/20141220105044/http://public.wsu.edu/~brians/world_civ/worldcivreader/world_civ_reader_2/john_smith.html The Proceedings of the English Colony In Virginia]'' was a compilation of other writings; it narrates the colony's history from December 1609 to the summer of 1610, and Smith left the colony in October 1609 due to a gunpowder accident. The writing style of ''The Proceedings'' is thought to be better constructed than ''A Map of Virginia''.{{sfn|Lemay|1991|p=48}}