"The Upper Canada Land Books [National Archives of Canada series RG 1, L1] record the minutes of the Executive Council of the Land Board which had authority over the granting and selling of crown lands in Upper Canada between 1787 and 1841. Settlers, military claimants, Loyalists, and others petitioned the Executive Council for grants of land, often giving personal information to support their claims. This index to the minutes lists all petitioners as well as surnames found within the petition itself ..."--Back cover, v. 3.

Land, Power, and Economics on the Frontier of Upper Canada examines Ontario's formative years, focusing on Essex County in Ontario from 1788 to 1850. Upper Canadian attitudes to land and society are shown to have been built on contemporary visions of the cosmos. John Clarke examines the actions of individuals from the perspective of the political culture and its manifestations, doing so within the constraints of geography and the cultural baggage of the settlers. Placing human action in the context of economics and laissez-faire capitalism, Clarke shows how almost unbridled acquisitiveness, and its concomitant land speculation, could promote or hinder development.