Joseph J. Dimock's perceptions of Cuba in his travel diary offer a remarkable firsthand view of a fascinating period in the island's history. Impressions of Cuba in the Nineteenth Century describes the social, economic, and political conditions in the 1850s. Dimock's entries of his travels and observations as an American reveal details of Cuban agriculture, plant life, and natural resources. The diary gives elaborate accounts of the sugar industry as well as extensive commentary on the daily life of slaves, Spaniards, and Cubans. Transportation, housing, and culture are also explored. Dimock's curiosity led him around the island, into prisons, salons, and other unusual places.