This site provides electronic versions of literature related to St. Helena and also maps and views. The emphasis is on the older, more scarce, St. Helena material (books published prior to 1900; maps and views published prior to 1800). Books that deal only, or mainly, with Napoleon's exile on St. Helena will not be included here.
The virtual library and archive is a work in progress; as of yet only some of the material about St. Helena is available here, but it is intended that eventually the library will be comprehensive. Contributions of material to the library are welcome and encouraged; contact Barry Weaver.
NOTE that the pages on this site are designed to be viewed at a screen resolution of 800 x 600.

NEW January 2009:
Wathen's Journal of a Voyage, in 1811 and 1812, to Madras and China ..., 1814
Barnes' A Tour Through the Island of St. Helena ..., 1817
Carmichael's Some Account of the Island of Tristan da Cunha ..., 1818
Campbells's Chart of the Island of Ascension ..., 1826
Oliver's The Geology of St. Helena. 1869
Grant's A Few Notes on St. Helena and Descriptive Guide ... 1883

Contents of the Virtual Library:

Books : Complete text and illustrations of pre-1900 books exclusively about St. Helena. Partial Books : Complete text and illustrations of pre-1900 books that are partially about St. Helena. Maps and Views : Early (mostly pre-1800) maps and views of St. Helena. Miscellaneous Documents Other Islands : Ascension Island and Tristan da Cunha.

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Books about St. Helena (pre-1910, arranged in chronological order) Information given for each book is: title; author; publisher, place, and year of publication. The format of the original texts has been retained as much as possible within the limitations of HTML. Any significant changes from the original are noted.

A Description of the Island of St. Helena; Containing Observations on its Singular Structure and Formation ... Anon. (F. Duncan?); Phillips, London, 1805. A Google Books pdf of this book is available here.   A History of the Island of St. Helena from its Discovery by the Portuguese to the Year 1806 ... T. H. Brooke; Black, Parry, and Kinsbury, London, 1808. NOTE - Currently incomplete; lacks the Appendix. A Google Books pdf of the 1808 edition of this book is available here, and of the 1824 edition available here.   Views of St. Helena G. H. Bellasis; Tyler, London, 1815.   Five Views of the Island of St. Helena, From Drawings Taken on the Spot ... W. I. Pocock; Fuller, London, 1815. NOTE - Currently incomplete; text only, lacks all plates.   Tracts Relative to the Island of St. Helena; Written During a Residence of Five Years A. Beatson; Nicol, Booth, London, 1816. A Google Books pdf of this book is available here.   A Tour Through the Island of St. Helena ... John Barnes; Richardson, London, 1817.   A Series of Views Illustrative of the Island of St. Helena J. Wathen; Clay, London, 1821.   The Geognosy of the Island St. Helena ... R. F. Seale; Ackermann, London, 1834. NOTE - Currently incomplete; lacks most plates.   A Guide to St. Helena, Descriptive and Historical, ... J. Lockwood; Gibb, St. Helena, 1851. A Google Books pdf of this book is available here.   Views of St. Helena; Illustrative of its Scenery and Historical Associations ... G. W. Melliss; London, 1857. A Google Books pdf of this book is available here.   Views of St. Helena T. E. Fowler; St. Helena, 1863.   The Geology of St. Helena J. R. Oliver; St. Helena, 1869.   St. Helena: A Physical, Historical, and Topographical Description of the Island ... J. C. Melliss; London, 1875. NOTE - Currently incomplete; lacks some plates and text for Parts III, IV, Appendix, and Index. A Google Books pdf of this book is available here.   Extracts from the St. Helena Records H. R. Janisch; St. Helena, 1885. Also available as a PDF file. A Google Books pdf of the 1908 edition of this book is available here.   St. Helena : The Historic Island ... E. L. Jackson; Ward, Lock and Co., London, 1903. A Google Books pdf of the 1905 US edition of this book is available here.

Partial Books about St. Helena (pre-1900, arranged in chronological order) Information given for each book is: title; author and book; publisher, place, and year of publication.

Thomas Cavendish's description of St. Helena Hakluyt, The Principal Navigations, Voyages, Traffiques & Discoveries of the English Nation. London, 1598-1600.   Linschoten's description of St. Helena Linschoten, Iohn Huighen Van Linschoten. His Discours of Voyages into ye Easte & West Indies. Wolfe, London, 1598.   Journal of a Voyage, in 1811 and 1812, to Madras and China; Returning by the Cape of Good Hope and St. Helena ... James Wathen; London, 1814.   Geology of St. Helena C. Darwin, Geological Observations on the Volcanic Islands. Smith, Elder & Co., London, 1844. The full text of Volcanic Islands is available at Darwin Online, here.

Maps and Views of St. Helena (mostly pre-1800, arranged in chronological order) Information given for each map or view is: plate title; author and book in which the plate was published; place and year of publication.

Sancta Helena Langenes, Caert Thresoor ... Middelburg, 1598.   Insula D. Helenę ... Linschoten, Iohn Huighen Van Linschoten. His Discours of Voyages ... London, 1598.   Vera effigies ... Helenę Linschoten, Iohn Huighen Van Linschoten. His Discours of Voyages ... London, 1598.   Sancta Helena Linschoten, Iohn Huighen Van Linschoten. His Discours of Voyages ... London, 1598.   Sancta Helena Langenes, Caert Thresoor ... Amsterdam, 1599.   Insula D. Helenę ... De Bry, India Orientalis. Part III. Frankfurt, 1601.   Sancta Helena Bertius, Tabularum Geographicarum Contractarum ... Amsterdam, 1606.   Sancta Helena Bertius, Tabularum Geographicarum Contractarum ... Amsterdam, 1618.   Mar di Ęthiopia Vulgo Oceanus Ęthiopicus Jansson. Novus Atlas. Amsterdam, 1650.   St. Helena Ogilby. Africa, Being an Accurate Description of the Regions ... London, 1670.   I de St Helene Mallet. Description de l'Univers ... Paris, 1683.   Isle de Ste. Helene Mallet. Description de l'Univers ... Frankfurt, 1686.   A New Mapp of the Island of Saint Hellena Seller/Thornton. Atlas Maritimus/English Pilot. London, 1675-.   The Island of Saint Hellena Seller. Atlas Maritimus. London, 1682.   St. Helena Moll. Atlas Minor. London, 1732.   A Correct Map of the Island of St. Hellena ... Bowen. A Complete System of Geography. London, 1747.   Plan de l'isle Ste Helene Bellin. Le Petit Atlas Maritime ... Paris, 1764.   Plan de la Forteresse et Bourg, de l'isle de Ste Helene Bellin. Le Petit Atlas Maritime ... Paris, 1764.   This Geographical Plan ... Saint Helena ... Read. London, 1815.   This Geographical Plan ... Saint Helena ... Read. London, 1817.   View of James's Town: Saint Helena ... Blake. London, 1830.

Miscellaneous Documents about St. Helena

The St. Helena Charter of 1673 Modern language version, courtesy of Jeff Cant.   A Descriptive Sketch of The Island of St. Helena, ... A broadside about St. Helena published in advance of Napoleon's exile to the island. Wallis, London, 1815.   A Few Notes on St. Helena and Descriptive Guide ... B. Grant; St. Helena, 1883.   Photographs of St. Helena Benjamin Grant; St. Helena, 1889.

Ascension Island and Tristan da Cunha

Thevet's description of Ascension A. Thevet. The New Found Worlde, or Antarctike, .... London, 1568.   Linschoten's description of Ascension Linschoten. Iohn Huighen Van Linschoten. His Discours of Voyages ... Wolfe, London, 1598.   The True Description of the Island of Ascention ... Linschoten. Iohn Huighen Van Linschoten. His Discours of Voyages ... London, 1598.   Vera effigies ... Insulae Ascenstio ... De Bry, India Orientalis. Part III. Frankfurt, 1601.   Isle d'Ascencion Mallet. Description de l'Univers ... Frankfurt, 1719.   Some Account of the Island of Tristan da Cunha ... Carmichael. Transactions of the Linnean Society, 1818.   Chart of the Island of Ascension, with Remarks on its Geognosy Campbell. Edinburgh Philosophical Journal, 1826. A Google Books pdf of this article is available here.   Plan de L'Ile de L'Ascension Duperrey. Voyage Autour du Monde, ... Paris, 1827.   Picturesque Views in the Island of Ascension W. Allen. London, 1835.   Communications on the Island of Ascension H.R. Brandreth. Journal of the Royal Geographical Society of London, 1835. A Google Books pdf of this article is available here.   Notes on the Island of Ascension H.R. Brandreth. Professional Papers of the Royal Engineers, 1840.   Geology of Ascension C. Darwin. Geological Observations on the Volcanic Islands. Smith, Elder & Co., London, 1844. The full text of Volcanic Islands is available at Darwin Online, here.   Six Months in Ascension ... I. Gill; Murray, London, 1878. Also available as a PDF file. A Google Books pdf of this book is available here.   Narrative of a Residence on the Island of Tristan da Cunha, South Atlantic Ocean A. Earle. A narrative of a nine months residence in New Zealand in 1827; together with a journal of a residence in Tristan D'Acunha, an island situated between South America and the Cape of Good Hope. Longman, Rees, Orme, Brown, Green & Longman, London, 1832. A Google Books pdf of this book is available here.   The Lonely Island R.A. Rogers. The Lonely Island. Morehouse Publishing Co., Milwaukee, 1927. [Published in the UK by G. Allen & Unwin, London, 1926.]

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