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The main purpose of the Roanoke Colonies Research Newsletter is to serve as a conduit of information concerning research being done by scholars about the various colonization efforts that occurred on Roanoke Island. To that end, annotated bibliographic entries will be a major part of all upcoming issues.

In order to make this possible, we ask that you send us notice or, preferably, copies of any articles, reports, books, or other pertinent materials so we may give full bibliographic information and an annotation. These materials need not be your own. If you come across something you think others may want to know about, please let us know.

The following examples show the types of bibliographic entries we hope to include. As can be seen, works specifically about the Roanoke colonies and works which are indirectly related to the subject are of interest.

We have decided to use the Modem Language Association bibliographic entry format; however, if bibliographic information is missing that readers in any particular field need, let us know. We can always modify the format to include added information.

Skowronek, Russell K., and John W. Walker. "European Ceramics and the Elusive 'Cittie of Raleigh."' Historical Archaeology 27.1 (1993):58?69.

Skowronek and Walker review and categorize the European-produced ceramics found thus far during the various digs at Fort Raleigh, from Jean C. Harrington's 1947 excavation to the present day. Their review of the European-produced ceramics leads them to the conclusion that because the vast majority of artifacts come from the area directly to the west of the fort, future investigations looking for the "Cittie of Raleigh," where colonists from the 1585 and 1587 expeditions lived, should expand upon the earlier test excavations done to the west of the fort.

Shields, E. Thomson, Jr. "East Makes West: Images of the Orient in Early Spanish and English Literature of North America." Medievalia el Humanistica n.s. 19 (1992): 97?116.

Shields examines the influence that the European desire for commodities from Asia had on the literature about the northern part of the Americas, from 1492 until the early eighteenth century. He argues that the desire for Oriental commodities was taken to the extent of describing the New World as if it were literally Asia. Of interest for Roanoke colonies studies are discussions of Thomas Harriot's images of possible silk production on Roanoke Island and of the opening to Robert Beverly's History and Present State of Virginia (1705) describing pre-1584 Roanoke Island as a literal Garden of Eden and Native Americans as prelapsarians, ruined by the 1584 arrival of English explorers.

Lawson, Sarah, trans. A Foothold in Florida: The Eye-Witness Account of Four Voyages Made by the French to the Region and Their Attempt at Colonisation, 1562-1568. Annotated and Appendices by W. John Faupel. East Grinstead, England: Antique Atlas Publications.

The advertisement states that this work is "based on a new translation of Laudonniere's [1586 work] L'histoire notable de la Floride." Included in this edition are illustrations by Jacques le Moyne which, along with John White's Roanoke drawings, provide the basic visual portrait of sixteenth-century southeastern North America, especially Native American society. The book is available from the publisher: Antique Atlas Publications, 31a High Street, East Grinstead, W. Sussex, RH19 3AF, England (Telephone: 0-342-315-813; Fax: 0-342-318?058).The price of the volume is l25, plus postage and tax.

Five works are either available or should be available soon from the Durham Thomas Harriot Seminar:

Abraham, Lyndy. Literary Images from Alchemical Manuscripts in Harriot's Time.
Aiton, Eric. Astronomy in the Time of Harriot.
Binns, James. Latin Culture in Harriot's Time.
Salmon, Vivian. Thomas Harriot and the English Origins of Algonkian Linguistics.
Taunton, Nina. Renaissance Discourses on War.

For price and availability (in Great Britain, each volume runs 2), contact Professor G. R. Batho, School of Education, University of Durham, Durham, DH1 1TA, England.