Of particular interest to economic historians is the information on cargoes carried by each ship. This journal, written during a voyage from North Carolina to the French West Indies, includes an introduction by R.S. Craig of University College, London. The Spanish account of the attack on Puerto Rico and other manuscripts, edited by W.D. Cooley. This collection encompasses books and pamphlets, histories, and official documents and reports, as well as tour guides, personal memoirs, travel journals and diaries. Writers include explorers, scientists, academics, diplomats, missionaries, archaeologists and private citizens.
Materials cover Mexico, Latin America, the Caribbean and occasionally California.
They recorded the physical geography, weather, botany, zoology and general ecology of these regions. Since no complete set exists in North America, this microfilm edition was assembled from several sources.