James Hammond Trumbull was a prolific New England antiquarian and linguist. In connection with his research into the Native languages of New England, his discovery that some of the languages were highly systematic enabled him to decipher the grammar and vocabulary from rough phonetic accounts of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Though Trumbull never saw his work published, the Bureau of American Ethnology finally produced the Natick Dictionary in 1903.

Since Trumbull's dictionary translates words both from Natick to English and from English to Natick, it is not only an excellent scholarly resource but also a useful learning tool for nonspecialists approaching Algonkian with only English-language skills.

Robert and Karen Madison's introduction to this edition outlines Trumbull's life and writings and also reviews the major sources Trumbull used in his research.