To Have and to Hold [Hardcover]

Mary Johnston (Author), Joshua and Sarah Wean (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 13, 2006

A fledgling colony on the shores of the James River struggles desperately to survive and earn the good will of the King of England as Spanish dons, ruthless pirates, and lurking Indians plot to destroy Jamestown and its handful of colonists. Within this world, a simple, godly soldier braves all odds to defend his honor and his duty to uphold God s sacred laws, all the while fighting to win the love of his new wife.

To Have and to Hold brings to life the exciting beginnings of America, weaving a story of adventure, intrigue and romance with providence and perseverance in colonial Jamestown. This exciting story makes a wonderful family read-aloud, as well as a ''can't put down'' book for the individual reader, capturing the imaginations of young and old, men and women alike.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Born in 1870 to prominent West Virginia family, Mary Johnston was well known as an American novelist of great talent. She was the daughter of Major John William Johnston, an officer who served with Stonewall Jackson during the Civil War. His stories became the impetus for some of her later historical novels. Although her writings at times reflected more of a fatalistic, rather than distinctively Christian worldview, her books provided readers with rich historical insights into early American history. The author of several historical novels, her most famous title was the epic story "To Have and to Hold", which attained great popularity in 1907 during its release for the celebration of the three hundredth birthday of the Jamestown settlement.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 440 pages
• Publisher: Vision Forum, Inc.; Revised edition (October 13, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0978755936
• ISBN-13: 978-0978755935
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 6.4 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #110,174 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

48 of 48 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Definitive Adventure/Romance Novel, June 19, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: To Have and to Hold (Hardcover)

Clear your calendar before you start, there is no good place to put this book down. Adventure, romance, rich characters, and wry humor carry you into the forests of early colonial America, embroidered with the tragedies and intricacies of colonial/Native American relationships. The plot, at first blush simple and time-honored, is only the framework for a study in human character: the best of it, the worst of it, those in whom the base and noble are inextricably entwined. Jocelyn, the King's ward, escapes England in a bride-ship bound for the colonies and for her own reasons marries a planter who has decided--on a throw of dice--to come to Jamestown for the arrival of the brides. Their uncertain path is complicated by the arrival of the powerful suitor Jocelyn hoped to escape, by kidnapping, intrigue, arrest, shipwreck, and pirates, and the unravelling of the colony's delicate peace with the first Americans. I was captivated, not from the first page, but from the table of contents: Chapter Two "In Which I Marry in Haste," and Chapter Three "In Which I Am Like to Repent at Leisure". Read it at your leisure--you will have no reason to repent.

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars To Have and To Hold by Mary Johnston, 1901, December 11, 2006

By 

Susan Seymour (USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: To Have and to Hold (Hardcover)

My parents read this story to my brother and me when we were 6 & 8. It starts out slowly but gets really good, really fast. It has Indians, pirates, swordfights, one of the best (worst) villains ever (& his evil cohort), betrayal, sacrifice, true love and ventriloquism. We LOVED the story then and, as adults, came to appreciate it on new levels. Same goes for my son, now grown up, to whom I gave the same privilege of great story-telling as a kid. There's a 1947(?) movie based on the book but the book itself, of course, can tell more of the story with the very best illustrations - those from your own imagination.

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Still In My Heart, January 26, 2007

By 

A. Mitchell (USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: To Have and to Hold (Hardcover)

I read this book in High School. Its still in my heart, I have never forgotten it. I'm now 60 years old.