[First Edition] The Discovery and Conquest of Mexico

Octavo. xxxi, 478 pages with index. Edited from the only exact copy of the original manuscript by Genaro García. Translated, with introduction and notes, by A. P. Maudslay. Introduction to the American edition by Irving A. Leonard. Illustrated throughout with historical drawings and maps by Marshall Lee. Black cloth spine over decorative black boards with silver lettering. Top edge stained red. A clean, well-preserved copy. Binding remains tight and square. Pages are bright and clean throughout with no writing, underlining, or marginalia in the text. Contemporary gift inscription dated September 1956 on the front free endpaper. No library markings. Dust jacket is complete and protected in a removable archival Mylar sleeve. Jacket shows moderate rubbing, edge wear, several small chips at the spine ends, and a few short closed tears, but remains attractive. Please note that the dust jacket bears the Book Dividend (Book-of-the-Month Club) imprint on the front flap and is described accordingly. Condition Book: Very Good+ Dust Jacket: Good+ Historical Note Bernal Díaz del Castillo was one of Hernán Cortés's soldiers and wrote what is widely regarded as the definitive eyewitness account of the Spanish conquest of Mexico. Unlike later historians, Díaz participated directly in the expedition and composed this work in part to correct what he believed were inaccuracies in earlier histories. His vivid descriptions of the march inland, the first encounters with Moctezuma II, the siege of Tenochtitlan, and the collapse of the Aztec Empire make this one of the foundational primary sources for the study of early colonial Mexico and the Spanish conquest. Irving A. Leonard's introduction places Díaz's narrative within the broader context of sixteenth-century exploration and historiography.

Estimate:£36.28

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