Having self published 3 books about Mississippi history, I've studied these two volumes at length. Dunbar Rowland LLD edited them and he was the first Secretary of Mississippi Dept. of Archives and History. I've found the text to be accurate, concise and well written, including descriptions of early history of the state. Each volume is over a thousand pages, and can seem daunting, yet the format makes it easy to access. Topics are in alphabetical order and they include descriptions of towns, many extinct, important,detailed histories of counties formed before 1910. There are many topics described beautifully like River Transportation, the Natchez Trace, early churches, the Lyman colony and the Aaron Burr saga.