IN A 1977 ARTICLE, 'CRIME AND PUNISHMENT IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY: A NEW LOOK AT THE CRIMINAL' ('JOURNAL OF INTERDISCIPLINARY HISTORY, VII,' 1977, 477-491), THE AUTHOR REPORTED THAT A GREAT MANY RECORDS ON INDIVIDUAL CRIMINALS, INCLUDING JAIL REGISTERS, OFFER IMPORTANT DATA FOR THE STUDY OF CRIMINAL JUSTICE HISTORY. ERIC MONKKONEN ALSO A CRIMINAL JUSTICE HISTORIAN, CRITICIZED GRAFF'S POSITION IN A SUBSEQUENT ISSUE OF THE 'JOURNAL OF INTERDISCIPLINARY HISTORY.' MONKKONEN ARGUED THAT GRAFF WAS UNDULY OPTIMISTIC IN HIS BELIEF THAT INDIVIDUAL CRIMINAL HISTORIES COULD OFFER ANY IMPORTANT DATA SOURCE FOR HISTORIC RESEARCH, AND ADVOCATES PREPROCESSED, AGGREGATE DATA AS THE MOST IMPORTANT DATA SOURCE FOR OBTAINING A LARGER HISTORIC PICTURE OF CRIMINAL JUSTICE. THIS ARTICLE IS GRAFF'S REPLY TO THAT CRITIQUE. GRAFF MAINTAINS THAT NO DATA SOURCE HOLDS ABSOLUTE VALUE FOR THE HISTORIAN, AS SOURCES MUST BE CHOSEN FOR THEIR RELAVANCE TO THE OBJECTIVES OF A PARTICULAR RESEARCH EFFORT. HIS ORIGINAL ARTICLE WAS MERELY POINTING OUT THE VALUE OF RECORDS ON INDIVIDUAL OFFENDERS, USED COLLECTIVELY, AS A SOURCE FOR CERTAIN RESEARCH. SUCH A DATA SOURCE COMPLEMENTS AGGREGATE DATA IN THE COMPILATION OF INFORMATION VALUABLE TO THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE NATURE OF CRIME, CRIMINALS, AND CRIMINAL JUSTICE IN EARLIER TIMES. THE LIMITATIONS EMBODIED IN THE USE OF AGGREGATE DATA IN HISTORIC RESEARCH ARE NOTED. SEE ALSO NCJ-55208. (RCB)