In a broad panorama from the northern to the southern tip of America, Simon Karstens presents twelve little-known stories of failed conquests of the so-called New World and describes the diverse and momentous encounters of indigenous cultures with the newcomers from Europe. This book follows the coastline of the Americas from icy Baffin Island west of Greenland through the verdant St. Lawrence Valley, the swamplands of Florida and the jungles of Guyana to the Strait of Magellan far south. It tells the story of monks, privateers, courtiers, missionaries, famous naval heroes, and common men and women who traveled to America as servants, farmers, convicts, or artisans. They all encountered the indigenous cultures of the Americas there, peacefully or violently: small groups of men and women who lived as hunters and gatherers, farming villagers, spiritual leaders, warriors, traders, and male and female chiefs of large cities. Based on the history of twelve failed colonial projects, the author describes how, despite all the Europeans' belief in their own superiority, it was ultimately the indigenous people of America who decided their success or failure.