Damnable Heresy: William Pynchon, the Indians, and the First Book Banned (and Burned) in Boston
Ebook
Misunderstandings between races, hostilities between cultures. Anxiety from living in a time of war in one's own land. Being accused of profiteering when food was scarce. Unruly residents in a remote frontier community. Charged with speaking the unspeakable and publishing the unprintable. All of this can be found in the life of one man--William Pynchon, the Puritan entrepreneur and founder of Springfield, Massachusetts, in 1636. Two things in particular stand out in Pynchon's pioneering life: he enjoyed extraordinary and uniquely positive relationships with Native peoples, and he wrote the first book banned--and burned--in Boston. Now for the first time, this book provides a comprehensive account of Pynchon's story, beginning in England, through his New England adventures, to his return home. Discover the fabric of his times and the roles Pynchon played in the Puritan venture in Old England and New England.
"As the key founder of Springfield, Massachusetts, William
Pynchon has been used by historians to show the economic origins of
New England. But as David Powers shows, Pynchon was every bit as
much an intercultural pioneer and religious figure with unorthodox
ideas. This first book-length biography of Pynchon brings to bear
new knowledge and approaches to the settlement period of New
England, to give us a portrait of a person who was as complex as
the Puritan movement from which he came."
--Kenneth P. Minkema, Director, Jonathan Edwards Center, Yale
University, New Haven, CT
"If David Powers's remarkable work were only the story of William
Pynchon's life and thought it would be a model of scholarly depth,
well worth reading as a solid, learned account of an unusual
Puritan. This book is something much more, however: a broad and
deeply textured view of life in early New England, blending
theology, politics, and economic realities into a single compelling
story."
--Margaret Bendroth, Executive Director, Congregational Library,
Boston, MA
"David Powers's new book makes an important contribution to the
long and venerable tradition of early New England studies. His
subject, William Pynchon, was one of the movers and shakers of the
period. His achievement however, goes beyond biography to more
general matters: life in and around western Massachusetts, the
cross-cutting textures of Puritan belief and practice, the very
shape of life at ground level in the 'world we have lost.' The
research is thorough and deep. The book's architecture is
effective, even elegant. The prose, too, is excellent: smooth,
clear, with many pleasing touches. Altogether: a remarkable
accomplishment!"
--John P. Demos, Professor of History emeritus, Yale University,
New Haven, CT
Product Details
- Title : Damnable Heresy: William Pynchon, the Indians, and the First Book Banned (and Burned) in Boston
- Authors:
- Powers, David M.
- Hall, David D.
- Publisher: Wipf and Stock
- Publication Date: 2015
- ISBN: 9781630877613
David Powers is a native of Springfield, Massachusetts, and has
long been interested in its earliest days, particularly the part
that William Pynchon played in shaping its life. He traces his
fascination with the area's history to finding a map of the early
days of Pynchon's settlement in a book by Springfield historian
Harry Andrew Wright. In time his interest led to a paper for C.
Conrad Wright's American Church History class at Harvard Divinity
School. Through extensive research since retirement in both New
England and Old, Powers has explored as much of the story as he
could for Damnable Heresy.
In the course of this study Powers deciphered coded notes that John
Pynchon, William's young son, wrote down while the settlement's
minister, the Rev. George Moxon, preached on Sundays in the 1640s.
The teenager's jottings comprise a small booklet, which is one of
the very earliest artifacts from Springfield. These notes,
transcribed in Good and Comfortable Words, reveal the
concerns the minister addressed. They also reveal him to be an
able, engaging speaker who offered encouragement--and challenge--to
the growing settlement he faithfully served through its earliest
years on the edge of the "wilderness."
For more from David Powers, check out the following links:
Video of his Presentation on Damnable Heresy in Springfield, MA:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEHiWRks4pqupIoQH-ml-9A
Radio Interview on Pioneer Valley Radio:
http://pioneervalleyradio.com/2015/05/06/david-powers-author-damnable-heresy-william-pynchon-the-indians-and-the-first-book-banned-in-boston/