The Special Collection at the National Archives includes rare books published in the 19th and 20th century and covers history, travel, culture and natural history.
(See Inventory for a detailed listing of these resources)
The Urich Diary Trinidad 1830-1832 which was edited and published by Anthony De Verteuil is one of the rare books in the special collection. The original diary was hand-written in German by Friedrich Urich in the 1830s and translated into English by his granddaughter Irene Urich in the 1950s. This publication of the Diary is a Limited Edition, numbering just one hundred copies.
The information in the diary paints a clear picture of life in Trinidad at the time of writing (1830-1832). Numerous details and descriptions of people and places blend to offer the reader a rich tapestry of this era in Trinidad’s history.
The Editor
Fr. Anthony De Verteuil was born in 1932. He entered the order of the ‘Holy Ghost Fathers’ in 1950 and in 1992 he took up the post of principal of St. Mary’s College, Port of Spain which he held for fifteen (15) years. A noted historian and writer he has written and published approximately 20 books some of which are listed below.
- A History of Diego Martin 1784-1884 (1987)
- Seven Slaves and Slavery, Trinidad 1777-1838 (1992)
- The Germans in Trinidad (1994)
- Surgery in Trinidad (1996)
- Great Estates of Trinidad (2000)
- Western Isles of Trinidad (2002)
- Temples of Trinidad (2004)
- The Corsicans in Trinidad (2005)