The collection comprises Carl Diercke's letter book no. 1 (letters out), pp. 1-41, 24 January, 1907-22 August, 1908; Carl Diercke's letter book no. 2 (letters out), pp. 1-47, 11 October, 1908-14 May, 1909; and, Carl Diercke's letter book no. 3 (letters out), pp. 1-100, 13 September, 1909-4 July, 1910.
The collection also includes letters received by Carl Diercke, Rudolf Diercke, Helmuth Bertig, et al., no. 1-40, 1888-1964; letters received by Carl Diercke, Rudolf Diercke, et al., no. 41-80, 1895-1964; letters relating to the publication of an English translation of Richard Parkinson's book, Dreissig Jahre in der Südsee (Thirty years in the South Seas), 1970-1985; and, the United States Navy Hydrographic Office emergency reproduction from the German chart, S-Stiller Ozean, Insel Bougainville, Tinputz-& Teop Hafen, Maszstab 1:25000, 1911.
Carl Diercke (1872-1915) was the son of the famous German cartographer, Carl Diercke (Sr) (1842-1913) who created the Diercke Weltatlas. Carl Diercke (Jr) was married to Helene Blanche (Nellie) Parkinson. Nellie was the daughter of Richard and Phoebe Parkinson. Richard Parkinson was a scientist of German Danish origin, famous for his book, Dreissig Jahre in der Südsee (1907). Phoebe was Queen Emma's sister, both of the Samoan royal family Malietoa. Together with Parkinson and Diercke they created the first commercial plantations in New Guinea in the late 1800s.
The letters were written and received by Carl Diercke (Jr) at his plantation at Tinputz (Tinputs) in German New Guinea. In general the letters are requests for foodstuffs and sundry goods which were delivered mainly by the ship "Sumatra". The family were striped of land holdings by Australian officials after the First World War due to their German links. Rudolf Diercke, son of Carl and Nellie Diercke, stayed in New Guinea and the Solomon Islands where he managed plantations for W.R. Carpenter & Co. and later for the Catholic Church at Vunapope, East New Britain.
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