Collections of personal papers that provide researchers with insight into both the private and public lives of historical figures are always popular because of the balance they provide to other historical accounts. Now, more than 8,000 pages of letters and other documents from the most important figures in early U.S. history are available to students through this microfiche collection.

The collection is drawn from materials at the renowned Morristown (New Jersey) National Historical Park and the Dawes Library at Marietta College (Ohio). All signers of the Declaration of Independence are represented, as well as other important figures. Martha Washington, Patrick Henry, John Paul Jones, Dolly Madison, James Madison, Thomas Paine, Alexander Hamilton, Thomas Jefferson, and Aaron Burr are among those whose writings are included.

Students and researchers will benefit from such pieces as John Adams' letter to John Taylor explaining his views on the American system of government and our system of checks and balances. Political treatises like this are balanced with rare personal glimpses, such as Benjamin Franklin's letters describing his religious beliefs. Students of Revolutionary War history will find particularly interesting the large sections on George Washington and the United States Army.

Included with the set are a contents guide, a 30-minute cassette tape introduction, and a microfiche storage binder. The contents guide gives the location of the documents on the microfiche, as well as a brief synopsis of the documents' contents.