Plymouth Colony's Private Libraries presents the books owned and read by the Pilgrims and later Plymouth colonists, as recorded in their wills and inventories, 1633-1692. A literal transcription of the manuscript references to books is clarified when possible with full title identifications, giving detailed insight into the contents of the material that helped define the world for these adventurous settlers. The records of people who owned no books are included among the 510 inventories, giving some idea of the extent of literacy and illiteracy on the 17th-century frontier. The book is an invaluable resource for understanding the culture of early New England.