A collection of 20 essays, by a distinguished panel of specialists in British and American history, that explores the complex political, economic, intellectual, religious, and social environment in which William Penn lived and worked.

"Superb is the only term of description for this first (of a projected set of five) volumes containing all the surviving manuscripts originating with William Penn. . . . One can now more fully understand this extraordinary man's character--impetuous, careless, and disorganized in personal and business affiars, tactless yet burningly sincere and indefatigable."--Journal of American Studies "A monumental volume. . . . The editors] have produced a kind of encyclopedia, not merely of Penn's life but of the age itself."--The Eighteenth Century