In the late 1970s Susan Hardman Moore began her exploration of what had not yet been labelled ‘Atlantic history’ as a graduate student at the University of Kent working under the supervision of Patrick Collinson. Scouring archival records on both sides of the Atlantic and recording her findings meticulously on index cards, she amassed an amazing collection of information on early settlers of the New England colonies who returned to England temporarily, permanently or on brief business-related visits. The focus was on those who returned during the period of Puritan struggle and triumph in England between 1640 and 1660. The dissertation that contained this material was a treasure-trove for all who wished to understand the experience of Puritans in the New World. Having continued to study the interaction of Puritans on both sides of the Atlantic, in 2007 she provided a thoughtful and important interpretation of the information that she had initially gathered. Pilgrims: New World settlers and the call of home (New Haven–London 2007) was and remains an important work in understanding the complex role of religion in these times. Abandoning America presents in detailed biographical sketches everything she learned in her initial research and since about when and why colonists returned home, and what that move meant for them. The introduction draws heavily upon Pilgrims while also connecting her work to recent historiographical trends. The bulk of the volume consists of sketches, broken into three main parts – those who returned to England during the 1640s and 1650s, a sampling of those who left before 1640, and a collection of those who were intentionally visiting England in the period 1640–60. For such a detailed and comprehensive study, there are remarkably few points of judgement and fact that may be questioned. While the introduction offers her thoughts on the material, she avoids over-analysing the individual entries, leaving the book a valuable reference for all who wish to examine it from different points of view.