3 h 58 minAudiobook5 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at costPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
A river opens into unknown country, but winter threatens to destroy the expedition that follows it.
Jacques Cartier sails into the St. Lawrence in search of a western passage to Asia and the riches of northern lands. Sent by King Francis the First, the navigator from Saint-Malo records his second voyage in this short, practical account. The river leads inland, toward Indigenous towns and encounters beyond the shores he already knows.
At Stadacona, near the site of present-day Quebec City, Cartier meets Donnacona and his people, Iroquoian speakers who farm and live in fortified villages. His account also takes readers to Hochelaga. As the French prepare to winter beside the river, exploration becomes a struggle against deep snow, ice, and scurvy.
What you’ll discover
- A river beyond expectation Follow Cartier into a river wider than any he knows in France.
- Towns along the banks Encounter Stadacona and Hochelaga through the observations and limits of a visiting European navigator.
- Winter closes around them Feel the stakes rise as ice, deep snow, and scurvy threaten the expedition.
- Dreams of northern riches Trace the hopes that draw Cartier onward, including tales of gold and spices in Saguenay.
- An explorer's revealing perspective Read for both the places Cartier describes and the blind spots his account reveals.
Who will love it
For readers who love exploration history, Canadian history, and first-hand travel writing, and anyone who enjoys hearing an explorer's own voice.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- A king sends a navigator west
- The great river opens inland
- Stadacona and Hochelaga, two Indigenous towns
- A winter of ice and scurvy
- Cartier takes Donnacona to France
- What the account means and how to read it
Formats and delivery
- eBook
- On your phone, tablet, computer or Kindle, with the type as large as you like.
- Large-print eBook
- The same book in bigger, clearer type, from the first page.
- Audiobook
- 3 h 58 min, complete, read by Lucas Linden.
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas in about 5 minutes, to read or to hear.
- Paperback
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Hardcover
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print paperback
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print hardcover
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
eBooks and audiobooks open right away. Download EPUB or PDF, or send the book to your Kindle. Every printed copy is made when you order it and shipped worldwide; shipping is shown at checkout.
How it works
- Start free. Nothing to pay today; the eBook of this book is yours to keep.
- Read, listen and print. 200,000+ classics as eBook, large-print eBook, audiobook and 15-minute summary, and any book printed at cost as a paperback, hardcover or large print, 5 accounts for the price of one.
- We remind you first. Free for 3 months, and we email you 7 days before your first payment. Then USD 0.14 a day in your first year on the yearly plan and USD 0.27 a day after, or USD 0.66 a day on the monthly plan. Cancel online in two clicks.
Bought on its own? Every eBook, audiobook and printed book you buy without the plan carries our 30-day money-back guarantee.
25 languages, side by side
Read and hear Brief Account and Succinct Narration in 25 languages and switch at any time. Or read two side by side, paragraph by paragraph: the way to learn a language with a book you love.
Brief Account and Succinct Narration
by Jacques Cartier · 1545
Cartier sails up the St. Lawrence in search of a passage to Asia, where a winter threatens his expedition.
Medium level2–5 hours to read25 languages
Excellent
- Read or listen
- 25 languages, side by side
- Print and large print at cost
- 5 accounts for the price of one
Free for 3 months · starts right away, on any device
Read free3 months free · cancel anytimeFree for 3 months, then USD 0.14 a dayCancel anytimeHow it works
In short
Brief Account and Succinct Narration is the report of Jacques Cartier's second voyage to the lands along the St. Lawrence River, made in 1535 and 1536.
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
A king sends a navigator west
Cartier had already sailed to the Gulf of St. Lawrence in 1534. He had met Indigenous people there and brought two young men back to France. Those two, sons of a chief named Donnacona, learned some French and told stories of a great river leading inland and of a rich land called the Kingdom of Saguenay.
These stories shaped the second voyage. King Francis the First wanted a route to Asia and news of treasure, as Spain had found treasure in the south. So Cartier received three ships and set out from Saint-Malo in the spring of 1535.
Free for 3 months · Cancel anytime
Free gifts
USD 580 in free gifts when you start
Every book in every format and in 25 languages, 5 accounts for the price of one. Nothing to pay today.
- 200,000+ classic eBooksIn 25 languages, side by side
USD 170FREE - Every audiobookIn 25 languages, any device
USD 120FREE - 15-minute summariesRead or listen, in 25 languages
USD 60FREE - Print at cost, no markupPaperback, hardcover, large print
USD 60FREE - 5 accounts for the price of oneA shelf for everyone at home
USD 170FREE - A part in rebuilding the libraryNew languages and books for all
FREE
Questions about Brief Account and Succinct Narration
Can I read it free?
Yes. The first key idea of the 15-minute summary is free with no sign-up. Start free and the whole book is yours for 3 months, with the eBook to keep, plus 200,000+ more classics and any book printed at cost as a paperback, hardcover or large print. Nothing to pay today: we email you 7 days before your first payment, and you can cancel online in two clicks.
Can I buy the printed book?
Soon. The paperback, hardcover and large print editions are being prepared. Choose Paperback or Hardcover above, leave your email, and we tell you the day you can order it, printed at cost.
How many accounts do I get?
Five, for the price of one: you and 4 more people, each with their own login, shelf and their own place in every book.
Can I cancel anytime?
Yes. Cancel online in two clicks at any time and nothing more is charged. Nothing is charged in your first 3 months, and we email you 7 days before your first payment.
What is Brief Account and Succinct Narration about?
It is Jacques Cartier's report of his second voyage to the St. Lawrence River in 1535 and 1536. He describes the river, the Indigenous towns of Stadacona and Hochelaga, a harsh winter, and his return to France.
Is Cartier's account a true story?
Yes. It is a first-hand narrative of a real voyage, printed in the 1540s. Like all such reports it reflects the writer's aims and views, so historians read it alongside other evidence.
Where is Hochelaga?
Hochelaga was a large Indigenous town on the island where Montreal now stands. Cartier visited it in 1535 and named the nearby hill Mount Royal, which gave Montreal its name.
The author
Jacques Cartier
1492–1557 · French explorer
Jacques Cartier lived in Saint-Malo, Brittany, and died there in 1557. He led three French voyages to North America between 1534 and 1542. He wrote accounts of his travels. An account of his second voyage, made in 1535–1536, was published in French in 1545.
More like this
Our mission
The library burned once. We are building it back.
Every great book, in every language and every format, for every family. Every plan helps pay for new languages, new audiobooks and books for readers who have never had them. Join the movement.
Read our story- Every language25 languages today, side by side, and more every year
- No wastePrinted on demand: no warehouses, no unsold stock, no pulped copies
- For everyonePaperback, hardcover and large print at the cost of printing
