"The First American Novel" by William Williams 
I would imagine that the revelation that the first American novel was written by a man of Welsh descent will surprise many readers, as it did me. The background to this novel, including information concerning the author, William Williams, has demanded exacting research not only by Terry Breverton but also by other literary historians.
This is an edited version of The Journal of Penrose Seaman. The text of the novel runs to over two hundred pages while the very detailed and extensive annotations run to over a hundred pages. Williams\’s work focuses on a first person narrative of a young man\’s experiences as a castaway on the South American coast. In its day, the novel was praised by Byron and Southey. The literary academic Dr Moira Dearnley has described Williams\’s novel as "a work of considerable literary quality". It is good that it has been made available to a modern readership in this finely produced paperback.
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