One of the favorite leisure activities of the Puritans was reading. One of the biggest fears they had when they came to the New World was the fear that they would completely lose touch with English culture, and they tried to avoid this by keeping up with English literature as much as they possibly could. Despite the distance, they actually managed to keep getting supplies of books from England - the Winthrop expedition, that founded Massachusetts Bay Colony, brought, along with their supplies of grains, meat and other food, a collection of books

that was large enough to keep the people well read for their first few years. The colonists also managed to get books sending “shopping lists” of book to their old friends and neighbors. They would literally receive boxes of books back.

The women in the colonies often entertained themselves by throwing “bees” or small parties for their friends. These parties were usually for either quilting, spinning, or sewing, and would be attended by about seven or eight women. They were meant to be very tame, and customarily did not have alcohol.

By 1780, almost all the Puritan men and 80 percent of Puritan women had been taught to read, so they all enjoyed reading as a form of entertainment. As you can probably imagine, the Bible always remained a favorite book in Puritan colonies, and they preferred the Geneva Bible of 1560 to any other published version, because it contained maps, glossaries of names and events, and explanations of all the passages. One of the most common “family activities” was one member of the family reading Bible passages aloud, usually in the evening after finishing a meal. Men and women who were dating would also hold reading parties, where other couples would come over and they would all take turns reading to each other.

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