"...a veritable treasure trove of information...There are general details of Colonial life as well as obscure and difficult-to-find facts that students need and teachers always want...an invaluable resource for research and term papers."
School Library Journal
"The impressive quantity and quality of work found here incorporate a great breadth of useful information about Colonial America. A marvelous reference companion for serious students, highly recommended for academic libraries."
Choice
"This modest-sized book presents a mine of information for both researchers and general readers. Its articles are divided into subject areas (e.g. Native American life, the economy, diet and health, and prominent and representative Americans) and are accompanied by 430 detailed tables presenting data such as reported weather conditions in New England, 1607-1699; chronology of the colonial Indian conflicts, 1622-1763; earliest population estimates of Indian Nations in Eastern US; number and value of livestock owned by Conneticut farmers age 40-60, 1670-1679; percentage of colonial household owning plows, 1636-1769; workday schedule of Francis Pepper, a hired farm laborer in Springfield, Mass., about 1665; and iron forges and furnaces operating in Massachusetts, 1758. A sampler of historical documents concludes the work."
Reference And Research Book News
"This volume vividly portrays the realities of daily life for those who came to the New World in search of a better life and settled a vast continent. This book provides unparalleled coverage of the economy, politics, culture, society, art, that defined colonial life. Brief sketches and extended essays on a wide range of topics are used as appropriate to place quantitative data into perspective. To enhance readers' appreciation of this period, the text includes more than 100 illustrations and maps."
Librarian