The diary and life of Samuel Sewall
By: edited with an introduction by Mel Yazawa.
Contributors: Yazawa, Melvin.
Series: The Bedford series in history and culture
Publisher: Bedford Books
Published: 1998
Place of publication: Boston
Language: eng
Number of pages: 260
Subjects: Sewall, Samuel, 1652-1730 -- Diaries.; Merchants -- Massachusetts -- Diaries.; Massachusetts -- History -- Colonial period, ca. 1600-1775.; Boston (Mass.) -- History -- Colonial period, ca. 1600-1775.
Description: Comprising daily commentary on major and minor events between 1674 and 1729, the diary of Boston merchant Samuel Sewall is one of the richest personal accounts of early American history. This innovative abridgment allows events to unfold without the distraction of editorial manipulation by presenting one year's complete entries from each of the five decades. The volume draws meaning from potentially mundane journal entries by placing Sewall's experiences in the dynamic context of colonial Boston.

A general introduction and thorough text annotations explain the social, religious, and political culture of Puritan New England, while chapter introductions provide overviews of the diary's intervening years. Illustrations, a chronology, questions for consideration, a bibliography, and an index are also included.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (p. 251-254) and index.
An abridgement of Sewall's Diary.