This volume collects valuable fragments of linguistic data and accounts of Native language as used among the Algonquian and Iroquoian tribes of New France. Volume 1 documents not only observations on the languages themselves, but also on the mutual intelligibility and geographical extent of various dialects, the various pidgins and jargons which came into use as a result of cultural contact, and the use of European languages such as French and Basque in native North America.
    This volume also includes several extended tracts in various Native American languages, including Brébeuf's 1636 description of Huron grammar, Lalemant's interlinear translation of a Huron prayer, Vimont's letter in Algonquin, Le Jeune's description of Montagnais, and many others. A map showing the location of the various missions and the approximate distributions of the Native languages is also included, as well as three useful appendices:

    Appendix A - A Native language concordance of the nearly 1,600 Native terms
        mentioned in the volume;
    Appendix B - A chart which assembles the various observations about linguistic
        relationships found in the extracts and compares them with a modern classification.
    Appendix C - Nearly 100 brief biographies from the Thwaites edition of the Jesuits
        mentioned most prominently in the extracts.

    This volume chronicles the phenomenal rise of the Iroquois Confederacy during the "Beaver Wars" of the 17th century. In what were perhaps the greatest series of military conquests in Native American history, the Five Nations of the Iroquois (the Mohawks, Oneidas, Onondagas, Cayugas, and Senecas) subjugated, destroyed, and absorbed enemy tribes stretching over a vast area from eastern Canada to Virginia to Illinois--forever changing the cultural map of eastern North America.
    In this volume, particular attention is given to the wars between the Iroquois and the Hurons, Algonquins and Montagnais that climaxed in total victory for the Iroquois in 1650. The accounts included in this volume cover the underpinnings of the wars and the battles, raids, and skirmishes up to and including the collapse of the Hurons. They are taken from the Jesuit Relations, the writings of Jacques Cartier, Samuel de Champlain, and Fr. Gabriel Sagard. During this period, the Iroquois emerged as a dominant force that was both respected and dreaded by neighboring tribes and the European colonial powers alike. Additional extracts touch upon the evolution of fighting techniques among the eastern woodland tribes, strategy and tactics, the treatment of war captives, the influence of European trade, war rituals, and peace negotiations.
     An introduction written by the editors helps place the extracts in their historical context and provides a list of further reading material. Each individual extract is properly cited for easy referencing within the original source material, allowing the book to be used as a companion to the early sources or as a stand-alone reference. Three illustrations and five original campaign maps are provided, as well as three helpful appendices:

    Appendix A - A detailed chronology of events from 1533–1650;
    Appendix B - A synonymy of obscure tribal names contained in the volume;
    Appendix C - Nearly 50 brief biographies of individuals (explorers, native chiefs, and
        missionaries) mentioned prominently in the extracts.

    Iroquois Wars II continues the chronicle of the rise of the Iroquois Confederacy during the “Beaver Wars” of the 17th century, using primary source extracts from the Jesuit Relations. The accounts included in this volume cover the incredible series of victories won by the Iroquois over neighboring tribes following the defeat and collapse of their Huron enemies in 1650. Iroquois war parties fought wide-ranging campaigns against enemy tribes and Europeans alike in practically every state east of the Mississippi. In doing so, they destroyed or displaced dozens of tribes, many of which are known to history by their names alone. Extracts covering the stunning defeat of the Neutral confederacy in the 1650s and of the long war with the Susquehannocks (Andaste) are prominently featured. Several detailed extracts covering the dramatic war between the Iroquois and the Eries are also included, along with numerous accounts of the French invasions of Iroquoia in the 1660s and attempts to forge a lasting peace.
    An introduction written by the editors helps place the extracts in their historical context and provides a list of further reading material. Each individual extract is properly cited for easy referencing within the Jesuit Relations, allowing the book to be used as a companion to the Relations or as a stand-alone reference. Six original campaign maps are provided, as well as three helpful appendices:

    Appendix A - A detailed chronology of events from 1650–1675;
    Appendix B - A synonymy of obscure tribal names contained in the volume;
    Appendix C - Nearly 50 brief biographies of individuals (French governors, native
        chiefs, and missionaries) mentioned prominently in the extracts.

    This volume features extracts from the Jesuit Relations dealing directly with American religious belief, both in terms of indigenous spirituality and the various reactions of Native Americans to the Christian religion brought to them by the Jesuits and others.
    Considering the primary mission of the Jesuits, they were keen observers of native spiritual practices and were anxious to learn as much as possible about native belief systems, creation stories, explanations of natural phenomena, etc. This volume collects the multitude of such observations into one handy resource. 

     Volume 5 presents extracts from the Jesuit Relations that record first-hand observations made by the Jesuit fathers in New France regarding the roles, traditions, words, and actions of both Native American and colonial European women from 1634 to 1790. Together, these extracts present a vivid, poignant, and emotional portrait of the lives and deaths of women in early colonial North America.
    To best illustrate the differing roles and changing circumstances affecting women in this historical setting, the extracts are organized chronologically according to tribal, ethnic, and settlement groupings. Covered in detail are the Montagnais, the various Algonquin nations, the Hurons, Iroquois and Iroquoian-speaking nations (Petun, Neutrals, Eries, and Wenro). Extracts covering the tribes of the lower Mississippi (Houmas, Chickasaw, Natchez, etc.) and the plains (Sioux and Akensas) are also included. Finally, several chapters include extracts dealing with the lives of colonial French women, Catholic nuns, and both native and European women’s lives in the mission towns.
    An introduction written by the editors helps place the extracts in their historical and cultural context and a bibliography of related reading is included. A map of tribal territories and movements from 1600–1700 is provided, as well as an index of principle persons mentioned in the extracts.

    This volume features extracts taken from early primary sources which focus on the various tribes of the Great Lakes region and the Ohio Valley that were not thoroughly documented before their destruction. Tribes mentioned in these extracts include the Neutrals, Eries, Wenros, Massawomecks, Antouhonorons, and others.