We know nothing about Henry Tiffin beyond what exists within the bounds of his commonplace book. He was a sailor: a common seaman aboard merchant vessels like the Eagle and British Royal Navy vessels like the HMS Tavistock. He was clearly educated in science, as seen from his treatises on geometry, trigonometry, astronomy, and navigation. Finally, he was a painter and songwriter, with 78 watercolor paintings and dozens of songs held within the pages.

His 326-page book spans an enormous number of topics, including descriptions of voyages to India, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Jamaica, the West Indies, Boston, and the East Indies; an epistle on the death of Major General James Wolfe; first-hand accounts of naval combat in India during the Seven Years' War; a list of every vessel in the British Royal Navy in 1774 organized by their number of cannon; and philosophical treatises on various topics.