Captain John Smith was one of the truly great English explorers, and a prolific author who made the New World popular.

But he was also his own worst enemy.

An officer at 22 after the battle of Amiens in 1597, he was confident, brash and ready to explore the world and after a few more battles through Europe, he returned to London with a reputation.

Almost single-handedly, he was responsible for the success of the Jamestown colony in Virginia.

His discoveries in New England led directly to the voyages of the Pilgrims and the Puritans.

For the leader of the colony, Powhatan, John Smith was the only one he can trust, at first…

Captain John Smith is most famous for being saved by Powhatan’s daughter, the Indian princess Pocahontas, a beautiful and exotic tale that has been told over and over…

But Pocahontas’ story was invented by Smith for his own glorification — as were other vivid tales of his life and travels.

‘The Great Rogue’ is the biography of this impressive but deceitful man, both responsible for the immense interest in America but also known for his rather unbelievable stories…

Noel Bertram Gerson (1913-1988) was a prolific American author, who wrote 325 books under his own name and under several pseudonyms. He channeled his own wartime experience in military intelligence into many of his novels, as well as writing widely about American history. His titles include ‘Liner’, ‘Daughter of Earth and Water: A Biography of Mary Shelley’, ‘The Conqueror’s Wife’ and ‘I’ll Storm Hell: A Novel of Mad Anthony Wayne’.

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