Historic Pittsburgh Book Collection

Items that offer information thought to be, or to approximate, primary source materials are given priority over items considered to be interpretive history. The collection also includes representative works of the general history of Pittsburgh. It should be understood that Historic Pittsburgh does not represent a complete body of work that covers the entire history of the region, but rather an informed selection of materials that should serve to introduce and assist in the scholarly study of Pittsburgh and the surrounding Western Pennsylvania area.

Because most of the items selected for the Historic Pittsburgh Book Collection were published before the early 1920s, they reflect the attitudes and beliefs -- the historical context -- of the time in which they were produced. Certain materials in the collection may be offensive to some readers. The user should keep in mind the historical context of the material when searching for information. The user also should be aware of the possibility that there will be variations in spelling and meaning (for example, the use of native Americans in early published works generally refers to the Caucasian people who settled in America, rather than the native American Indian tribes).

Some of the original source materials used for Historic Pittsburgh may have marginalia, torn pages, or other physical defects which appear on the digital images. Every effort possible has been made to maintain the integrity and ensure the completeness of each item. In some cases, though, an item with limited missing information may be included in the collection because its content has significant research value.