James Deetz was one of the founders of the field of historical archaeology and was one of the people who helped set up Plymouth Plantation. This book describes the history of Plymouth Colony from the Mayflower's landing to the 1690s with an emphasis on everyday life rather than the big historical events. It is a very idiosyncratic book, mostly by James I think, but completed by his wife Patricia. The text is entirely in the third person, which sounds ridiculous when James is talking about himself and even MORE ridiculous when Patricia is talking about her husband! There are four main sections.

The first part spends half a chapter talking about Thanksgiving and dispelling the standard Pilgrim myths. The first "thanksgiving" was really the 17th century English holiday of Harvest Home; the settlers were outnumbered by the indians at the feast; Plymouth rock was just some rock that an old guy — 121 years after the event — swore up and down his dad said was THE rock the forefathers stepped on, and so forth. After the debunking, Deetz gives a blow by blow of the events of 1620/21. This is riveting, reads like Swiss Family Robinson, and is worth the price of the book by itself.

The second part is about the historical record and gives detail on stuff like what the crimes were in Plymouth colony: adultery, sodomy, buggery (not to be confused with sodomy — buggery was what we'd call bestiality), fornication, witchcraft, rape, and murder. In many respects Plymouth's legal system, while harsh and unreasonable by modern standards, was reformed compared to the English system they'd left behind. There's also discussion of how the worldview of the 17th century differs from the present. People tended to blame inanimate objects, belief in witchcraft and superstitions were rampant, etc. The two cases of witchcraft in Plymouth colony are discussed. Nobody was put to death, a nice example of how Plymouth's laws were far more lenient than England's or the Massachusetts Bay Colony's. This part of the book gets a little dull since it is full of lists of objects from probate inventories, but the stories about the settlers and their legal disputes are worth it. Trust me, you want to read about that case of buggery.

The third part is about the archaeological digs, some of which James Deetz directly participated in. There's a lot of talk about how objects are dated, what kind of objects are typically found — lots of pipe stems! — and what conclusions can be drawn from them.

The book ends with a long description of how Plymouth Plantation, a living history museum, was constructed. Deetz was actually part of the events so it is a behind the scenes first-hand perspective, including some quiet criticism. The Plantation went through several stages of increasing realism. In the 1950s the Pilgrim myths were well represented, but as time went on the museum conducted actual archaeology and threw out the idiotic elements.

Overall I can recommend this book with a few misgivings. The tone of the book careens wildly from chapter to chapter. Sometimes there are random personal reminisces added that don't belong in the book. (Or maybe they should go in a foreword or afterword.) Finally, at one point Patricia cuts in with a lengthy ode to her husband that is embarrassing to read. These flaws make this a four star book rather than five. ( )

James Deetz and Patricia Scott Deetz, his wife and research partner, know a great deal about the life of the early English settlers in America and have crammed a lot of what they know into this book. This is more social history than history: it is not the book to learn the timeline and cast of characters for the settling of Plymouth Colony, but it is a good companion to such a book. The book is written to a general audience, but reflects rigorous research documented unobtrusively in a “Sources and Notes” section at the back.

The book does not have a particular focus. The first part is spent undoing the founding myths of black-clad “Pilgrims” in buckles and tall hats that Americans learn in primary school. Later sections discuss methods of research, particularly archeology, Dr. Deetz’s specialty. There is also a chapter on the history of Plimouth Plantation, the “living history” site that re-creates life in the colony in 1627. ( )