The Discovery, Settlement and Present State of Kentucke (1784)

John Filson’s account of the geography and early history of Kentucky includes the first published story of the adventures of Daniel Boone, hunter, explorer, and frontiersman. The book is an optimistic description of the region west of the Appalachians and south of the Ohio, where Filson had acquired large land holdings. Scarcely two years after a bloody British and Indian invasion in 1782, he portrayed Kentucky emergent as a natural paradise where peace, plenty, and security reigned. The work was among the first in a long tradition of rousing Western exploits associated with the continental migration of Americans. This edition includes the complete text of the first edition, some notes, a biographical sketch of John Filson, and a discussion of the editorial procedures. It also prints the “Map of Kentucke” published in 1784 along with the book.