The early period of American literature begins with exciting descriptions of the New World of Christopher Columbus, Amerigo Vespucci, and others. The first work written in America is Captain John Smith's fascinating report on the first years of life in the colony in Virginia and his relations with the aborigines. These works allow us to identify the most important cultural forces that formed the American literary tradition. For this reason they are the most comprehensive and reliable sources for penetrating the depths of American literature.