Despite his prominent role during the last quarter of the eighteenth century in promoting evangelical Calvinism among British Particular Baptists, only portions of the diary of Andrew Fuller (1754-1815), one of the most important surviving manuscripts from that century, have appeared in print in various volumes published between 1816 and 1882, portions usually inaccurately transcribed and highly editorialized. The current edition is the first complete and accurate transcription of Fuller’s diary based on the sole surviving volume now residing at Bristol Baptist College. This edition, with exhaustive identifications, notes, and valuable appendices for students of Baptist history, provides a fascinating glimpse into Fuller’s ministry at Soham and Kettering during a period (1780-1801) when he became the titular head of the Particular Baptists as a result of his preaching throughout Northamptonshire and surrounding counties; his writing, such as his influential work, The Gospel Worthy of All Acceptation (1785); and his multi-national work as founding secretary of the Baptist Missionary Society (1792), a position he diligently maintained until his death in 1815, having left a legacy unequalled by any other minister of his generation.

Quarterly accession lists; beginning with Apr. 1893, the bulletin is limited to "subject lists, special bibliographies, and reprints or facsimiles of original documents, prints and manuscripts in the Library," the accessions being recorded in a separate classified list, Jan.-Apr. 1893, a weekly bulletin Apr. 1893-Apr. 1894, as well as a classified list of later accessions in the last number published of the bulletin itself (Jan. 1896)

This book offers the student of English Baptist history (1741-1845) access to a remarkable archive of Baptist letters found in the collections of the John Rylands University Library of Manchester, of which only a handful have ever been seen before. Not only do these letters add greatly to our understanding of Baptist history during these years, but the biographical footnotes and glossary of names included in the book provide an invaluable resource tool for students who do not have the opportunity to conduct archival research. The most striking aspect of the Baptist correspondence in the Raffles Collection are the seventy-five letters addressed to John Sutcliff (1752-1814), Baptist minister at Olney (1775-1814). This book also provides identifications of more than 850 individuals, including 480 Baptist ministers, missionaries, and laypersons, of which nearly 300 can be found in the biographical glossary at the end of the volume. The remaining individuals are primarily ministers of other denominations, political figures, merchants, and writers, of which approximately ninety can be found in the glossary. No other volume in print provides students of Baptist history with such a resource for biographical information on Baptist ministers, missionaries, and laypersons from this period. The publication of this book also establishes the John Rylands University Library as one of the more significant depositories of Baptist archival materials, especially as related to the workings of the Baptist Missionary Society, within the United Kingdom.