The Purchas Handbook [set]: Studies of the Life, Times and Writings of Samuel Purchas, 1577-1626

Volume I, part one,is a narrative essay on the use of Purchas’s works by authors from the seventeenth century to the present day. Part two includes perspectives on his editing methods, the maps in Purchas His Pilgrimes(1625), and Purchas’s attitudes toward the indigenous peoples of Africa, Asia, and America. Part three begins with an essay on Purchas as theological geographer, and continues with a discussion of his use of contemporary accounts and materials concerning Africa, Asia, the Arctic, and the Americas. The first volume concludes with chronology of Purchas’s life and of his academic, religious, and publishing careers. Volume II includes a close examination of the contents and sources of Pilgrimes; a primary bibliography of his works, including an essay on the printing history of Pilgrimesand censuses of the holdings of his works in libraries throughout the world; and an annotated secondary bibliography of the use of his works by later authors. The volumeconcludes with an index of books and articles cited throughout the two volumes and a general index of persons, places, and major subjects.