A resident of Hampton since 1968, but a lifelong resident of the New Hampshire seacoast, Peter E. Randall is a descendant of Aquila Chase, who came to Hampton in 1640. A native of Seabrook, he grew up in Hampton Falls, attended Hampton Junior High School, graduated from Amesbury High School, and from the University of New Hampshire in 1964 with a degree in history. After college, he joined the Hampton Union as editor, a position he held for 18 months before joining the staff of New Hampshire Profiles magazine. He was editor of that publication from 1970 until 1976, when he left to concentrate on photography and to start his business, Peter E. Randall Publisher. As a photographer, he has traveled throughout New England, and to Africa for a United Nations assignment, and his work has appeared in a variety of regional and national publications.

He is the author of Mount Washington: A Guide and Short History, New Hampshire Four Seasons, Portsmouth and the Piscataqua, All Creation and the Isles of Shoals, Newburyport and the Merrimack, Salem and Marblehead, and There Are No Victors Here: A Local Perspective on the Treaty of Portsmouth. As a publisher, he concentrates on local history and has produced more than 150 books for local historical societies, communities, and individuals. Active in many historical and environmental organizations, he was a member of the Hampton Conservation Commission for 10 years and declined appointment to another term when he began the five-year project of preparing this book. He is married to UNH classmate Judith (Davis) Randall and the couple has three children: Deidre, Davis, and Katelyn -- all currently UNH students [1989].