Days of the Discoverers

Days of the Discoverers (1921) is a children’s history of New World exploration by Louise Lamprey (1869-1951), an American author who specialized in carefully researched historical fiction for young readers. Frederick A. Stokes published the book in New York as part of the Great Days in American History series, with illustrations by Florence Choate and Elizabeth Curtis. Lamprey builds each chapter around a story rather than a lesson: the narrative opens with Thorolf Erlandsson, a young Norseman whose voyage leads to Greenland and Vinland, then moves through Columbus, Cortes, and Captain John Smith, closing every chapter with a short poem. Like most exploration histories of its era, it presents European conquest as heroic adventure, a framing modern readers will want to weigh. The book remains in steady use among homeschooling families today. Free PDF download available on BDeBooks.