Father Viader’s Miscellany Book is a collection of 220 manuscripts (676 pages) that was assembled apparently by Father José Viader, one of the most influential Franciscans in Mission Santa Clara (where he served from 1796 to 1833). Father Viader’s Book, which is bound in hide, served as a reference book for life in Mission Santa Clara; as such, the multiple manuscripts in it deal with a great variety of subjects. Although some of the manuscripts in Father Viader’s Book were authored by Santa Clara missionaries, many manuscripts are copies that the missionaries made from other documents written in Spanish, Latin and Catalan. The predominant themes in these manuscripts are:

1) Church doctrine, liturgy and regulations. Father Viader’s Miscellany Book includes numerous copies and excerpts from Papal decrees, catechisms, theological treatises, regulations, missionary chronicles and missionary correspondence, they deal with matters of liturgy, sacraments, prayers, Protestantism, the faculties of the Alta California missionaries as well as instructions for the ministry of the Indians, among others.

2) Health care. These manuscripts include extensive collections of medications, detailed descriptions of treatments for various ailments as well as explanations of surgical procedures, such as inoculation and Cesareans.

3) Food production and preparation. Father Viader’s Book includes several manuscripts that describe the process of production of foods such as olive oil, wine and butter, as well as manuscripts with multiple recipes.

4) Economic legislation and production. Among these manuscripts are detailed descriptions on processing wool, tanning hides, and a 1788 mandate from the governor of Alta California listing the royal tariffs on various animals, animal products and grains.

5) International and local politics. Father Viader’s book includes news items about the turbulent political life in Europe as well as instructions for the election of Indian officials in Alta California.