Discoveries of America is a collection of personal letters written by 18 of the thousands of British emigrants who came to North America in the 15 years preceding the onset of the American Revolution. These accounts are rare: Few letters sent by emigrants during the colonial period exist.

The letters reveal the motivations, experiences, characteristics, and emotions of these people who populated America at a crucial time in its history, and provide new insights into the mechanisms of the British-American migration, especially the organization of personal networks of family and friends.