This is the authoritative work on the History of Brooklyn from the first discovery and the Colonial Period up until 1884 when this book was published. It is not to be confused at all with another work "History of Brooklyn" published in three volumes in 1867. The two books are completely different although both are by the same author. Henry Reed Stiles was a physician who wrote a number of highly regarded historical records and genealogical books during the late 18th and early 19th century. As a doctor, he served in various medical positions primarily in New York City. He was interested in genealogical and historical research. In May, 1863 Stiles was one of the founders of the Long Island Historical Society, and he became a director and its first librarian. In 1865, he was an active member of the Faust Club which published limited editions of Wood's History of Long Island, and of Farman's Notes on Brooklyn, N. Y. In 1865 he issued a limited edition of two volumes describing to the condition and experiences of prison ship captives in Wallabout Bay, under the title of The Wallabout Prisonship Series, and also edited The Genealogy of the Stranahan and Josslyn Families. He helped to organize the American Anthropological Society in 1869, and was one of the seven founders of the New York Genealogical and Biographical Society, serving as its president from 1869 until 1873. After his full retirement in 1901, he devoted all his time to completing and preparing for publication of The History of Ancient Wethersfield, Connecticut. Stiles was described upon his death as having "made it possible for thousands to trace their ancestry to the founders of our American Government and to honored names in the older governments of the world." Stiles wrote a number of books and also contributed numerous articles to magazines, newspapers, and genealogical publications.