The Life And Times Of Cotton Mather

Reintroducing Kenneth Silverman's Pulitzer Prize-winning biography of the most celebrated of all New England Puritans, at once a sophisticated work which succeeds admirably in presenting a complete portrait of a complex man and a groundbreaking study that accurately portrays Mather and his contemporaries as the first true American rather than European expatriates.

Cotton Mather (1663-1728) was America's most famous pastor and scholar at the beginning of the eighteenth century. People today generally associate him with the infamous Salem witch trials, but in this new biography Rick Kennedy tells a bigger story: Mather, he says, was the very first American evangelical. A fresh retelling of Cotton Mather's life, this biography corrects misconceptions and focuses on how he sought to promote, socially and intellectually, a biblical lifestyle. As older Puritan hopes in New England were giving way to a broader and shallower Protestantism, Mather led a populist, Bible-oriented movement that embraced the new century -- the beginning of a dynamic evangelical tradition that eventually became a major force in American culture. Incorporating the latest scholarly research but written for a popular audience, The First American Evangelical brings Cotton Mather and his world to life in a way that helps readers understand both the Puritanism in which he grew up and the evangelicalism he pioneered. Watch a 2015 interview with the author of this book here:

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1892 edition. Excerpt: ... CHAPTER XVIII. MANIFOLD LABORS AS PASTOR, CITIZEN, PHILANTHROPIST, AND AUTHOR: I7II-I715. FROM the records of the church in 1711, we cite a singular cause of discipline, one which I have not met with elsewhere, which may be noted: "John Brewster, having given scandal, by assisting a soldier in deserting from the camp, his repentance and confession was this day--12 d. 6 m. -- publicly offered to the church, and accepted." The full diary of this year gives us what little aid can be derived from published extracts, and a few names and dates. We find Dr. Mather carrying forward all sorts of charitable work whereby different classes of people might be benefited, while giving special attention to his children. To show the variety of interests that engaged him, take the following summary. He was now (February 12) fortyeight years old, and in his full vigor. In March he refers to the education of his son Increase as a matter of prime importance. The lad was now twelve years old, bright, healthy, mercurial, and full of joyous life, but needing guidance. He was the only living son of his mother, and very dear to his father's heart. Of course he must have the best education the province could give him and then be a minister, if God so pleased. Yet for some cause, perhaps something in the boy's temperament, the diary betrays no plan of the father to prepare the son for the ministry. However that might be, it was needful that his education for usefulness should be attended to in time. The young girls -- " little girls" he calls them -- must be taught housework. This included Lizzie, who was seven, and probably Hannah, who was fourteen. Katy was a young lady of twenty-two, and Nabby had seen seventeen years, and both were doubtless skilled in...

The #1 New York Times bestseller! It’s the Salem Witch Trials meets Mean Girls in this New York Times bestselling novel from one of the descendants of Cotton Mather, where the trials of high school start to feel like a modern-day witch hunt for a teen with all the wrong connections to Salem’s past. Salem, Massachusetts, is the site of the infamous witch trials and the new home of Samantha Mather. Recently transplanted from New York City, Sam and her stepmother are not exactly welcomed with open arms. Sam is the descendant of Cotton Mather, one of the men responsible for those trials—and almost immediately, she becomes the enemy of a group of girls who call themselves the Descendants. And guess who their ancestors were? If dealing with that weren’t enough, Sam also comes face to face with a real, live (well, technically dead) ghost. A handsome, angry ghost who wants Sam to stop touching his stuff. But soon Sam discovers she is at the center of a centuries-old curse affecting anyone with ties to the trials. Sam must come to terms with the ghost and find a way to work with the Descendants to stop a deadly cycle that has been going on since the first accused witch was hanged. If any town should have learned its lesson, it’s Salem. But history may be about to repeat itself. “It’s like Mean Girls meets history class in the best possible way.” —Seventeen Magazine “Mather shines a light on the lessons the Salem Witch Trials can teach us about modern-day bullying—and what we can do about it.” —Bustle “Strikes a careful balance of creepy, fun, and thoughtful.” —NPR I am utterly addicted to Mather’s electric debut. It keeps you on the edge of your seat, twisting and turning with ghosts, witches, an ancient curse, and—sigh—romance. It’s beautiful. Haunting. The characters are vivid and real. I. Could. Not. Put. It. Down.” —Jennifer Niven, bestselling author of All the Bright Places

A comprehensive biography of the leading figure of American Puritanism, this volume includes a vast amount of source material on early New England. The entire career of Cotton Mather is covered in great detail against the background of his environment. Illus.