David MacDonald is professor emeritus of history at Illinois State University. He received a BA from California State University at Fresno and a PhD from the University of Minnesota. He is the author of a number of books and articles, including Lives of Fort de Chartres: Commandants, Soldiers, and Civilians in French Illinois 1720-1770. He lives in Carlock, Illinois.Raine Waters received a BS and MS from Illinois State University. She is author, with David MacDonald, of Kaskaskia: The Lost Capital of Illinois.

"Methodically researched, this book uses a wide array of primary and secondary sources. The authors provide insight into all-but-forgotten lost colonies like San Miguel de Gualdape, the first Spanish settlement in North America; Fort St. Louis, the accidental French settlement in Spanish Texas; and Sagadahoc (also known as the Popham Colony), England’s first attempt to establish a colony in New England. Each of the thirteen chapters—broken into three parts, covering Spanish, French, and English endeavors—introduces readers to a different failed colony. Together, these chapters form a larger picture of early European settlement in North America, the challenges these colonies faced, and the fine line between the settlements that failed and those that survived. Both informative and analytical, this book should appeal to most readers interested in early American history.”—Choice"The tenacious myth of the American Dream would have it that hard work is always recompensed by success. Yet, failure is just as much part of North American history. For every Plymouth, Jamestown, and Québec, there is an Ajacán, Roanoke, and Sable Island. David MacDonald and Raine Waters gather here some of the more prominent examples of colonial failure and lay them out in an easily accessible primer on this facet of the continent’s history. By telling their stories, the authors also demonstrate that the success of other colonies was not a foregone conclusion by any means. Professional researchers will especially appreciate the commentary on primary sources, and hopefully be inspired to further pursue this avenue of study in trying to understand the roots of early colonialism in what would become Canada and the United States." —Joseph Gagné, historian and author of Inconquis: Deux retraites françaises vers la Louisiane après 1760

David MacDonald is professor emeritus of history at Illinois State University. He received a BA from California State University at Fresno and a PhD from the University of Minnesota. He is the author of a number of books and articles, including Lives of Fort de Chartres: Commandants, Soldiers, and Civilians in French Illinois 1720-1770. He lives in Carlock, Illinois.Raine Waters received a BS and MS from Illinois State University. She is author, with David MacDonald, of Kaskaskia: The Lost Capital of Illinois.

"Methodically researched, this book uses a wide array of primary and secondary sources. The authors provide insight into all-but-forgotten lost colonies like San Miguel de Gualdape, the first Spanish settlement in North America; Fort St. Louis, the accidental French settlement in Spanish Texas; and Sagadahoc (also known as the Popham Colony), England’s first attempt to establish a colony in New England. Each of the thirteen chapters—broken into three parts, covering Spanish, French, and English endeavors—introduces readers to a different failed colony. Together, these chapters form a larger picture of early European settlement in North America, the challenges these colonies faced, and the fine line between the settlements that failed and those that survived. Both informative and analytical, this book should appeal to most readers interested in early American history.”—Choice"The tenacious myth of the American Dream would have it that hard work is always recompensed by success. Yet, failure is just as much part of North American history. For every Plymouth, Jamestown, and Québec, there is an Ajacán, Roanoke, and Sable Island. David MacDonald and Raine Waters gather here some of the more prominent examples of colonial failure and lay them out in an easily accessible primer on this facet of the continent’s history. By telling their stories, the authors also demonstrate that the success of other colonies was not a foregone conclusion by any means. Professional researchers will especially appreciate the commentary on primary sources, and hopefully be inspired to further pursue this avenue of study in trying to understand the roots of early colonialism in what would become Canada and the United States." —Joseph Gagné, historian and author of Inconquis: Deux retraites françaises vers la Louisiane après 1760

David MacDonald is professor emeritus of history at Illinois State University. He received a BA from California State University at Fresno and a PhD from the University of Minnesota. He is the author of a number of books and articles, including Lives of Fort de Chartres: Commandants, Soldiers, and Civilians in French Illinois 1720-1770. He lives in Carlock, Illinois.Raine Waters received a BS and MS from Illinois State University. She is author, with David MacDonald, of Kaskaskia: The Lost Capital of Illinois.

"Methodically researched, this book uses a wide array of primary and secondary sources. The authors provide insight into all-but-forgotten lost colonies like San Miguel de Gualdape, the first Spanish settlement in North America; Fort St. Louis, the accidental French settlement in Spanish Texas; and Sagadahoc (also known as the Popham Colony), England’s first attempt to establish a colony in New England. Each of the thirteen chapters—broken into three parts, covering Spanish, French, and English endeavors—introduces readers to a different failed colony. Together, these chapters form a larger picture of early European settlement in North America, the challenges these colonies faced, and the fine line between the settlements that failed and those that survived. Both informative and analytical, this book should appeal to most readers interested in early American history.”—Choice"The tenacious myth of the American Dream would have it that hard work is always recompensed by success. Yet, failure is just as much part of North American history. For every Plymouth, Jamestown, and Québec, there is an Ajacán, Roanoke, and Sable Island. David MacDonald and Raine Waters gather here some of the more prominent examples of colonial failure and lay them out in an easily accessible primer on this facet of the continent’s history. By telling their stories, the authors also demonstrate that the success of other colonies was not a foregone conclusion by any means. Professional researchers will especially appreciate the commentary on primary sources, and hopefully be inspired to further pursue this avenue of study in trying to understand the roots of early colonialism in what would become Canada and the United States." —Joseph Gagné, historian and author of Inconquis: Deux retraites françaises vers la Louisiane après 1760