Samuel de Champlain — explorer, cartographer, administrator and diplomat to the Native American peoples he encountered — made twelve voyages to North America between 1603 and 1633. He authored four accounts of his explorations and observations, each published in his own day and lavishly illustrated with maps and engravings. Champlain’s Works became increasingly popular after his death and ultimately shaped the founding narratives of the colonization of northeastern North America and the creation of New France. In this volume, Gayle K. Brunelle offers a thorough and balanced examination of Champlain’s life and career, and invites students to consider how, through his explorations, his writings, and his remarkable maps, Champlain shaped our understanding of early North American history. Document headnotes, maps and illustrations, a chronology of events, questions to consider, a selected bibliography, and an index are provided to enrich student understanding.