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.