The Search For El Dorado
Condition: SECONDHAND
This is a secondhand book. The jacket image is a photograph of the exact copy we have in stock. This image shows the condition of this book. Further condition remarks are below.
Condition remarks:
Book: Good
Jacket: Worn/faded, no tears
Pages: Good
Few legends have fired the human imagination quite like El Dorado — the mythical city of gold that lured conquistadors, adventurers, and emperors into the unmapped heart of South America for centuries. The Search for El Dorado by John Hemming chronicles the extraordinary and often brutal expeditions undertaken by European explorers who plunged into the jungles, mountains, and rivers of the New World in relentless pursuit of a golden king and his impossible kingdom. Drawing on meticulous historical research, Hemming reconstructs the voyages of figures such as Francisco de Orellana and Sir Walter Raleigh, presenting their obsessive quests against the rich backdrop of indigenous civilisations that the conquistadors both encountered and destroyed. Hemming writes with the authoritative clarity of a seasoned historian and the vivid narrative flair of a master storyteller, illuminating the collision between Old World greed and New World wonder with striking precision. The book argues that the legend of El Dorado, far from being mere fantasy, was rooted in genuine indigenous ceremonies and the dazzling goldwork of cultures like the Muisca — artefacts of which grace the very pages of this volume. A landmark work in the history of South American exploration, it raises a haunting question: what was truly lost in the relentless pursuit of gold?
Author: John Hemming
Format: Hardback
Genre: History
Condition remarks:
Book: Good
Jacket: Worn/faded, no tears
Pages: Good
Few legends have fired the human imagination quite like El Dorado — the mythical city of gold that lured conquistadors, adventurers, and emperors into the unmapped heart of South America for centuries. The Search for El Dorado by John Hemming chronicles the extraordinary and often brutal expeditions undertaken by European explorers who plunged into the jungles, mountains, and rivers of the New World in relentless pursuit of a golden king and his impossible kingdom. Drawing on meticulous historical research, Hemming reconstructs the voyages of figures such as Francisco de Orellana and Sir Walter Raleigh, presenting their obsessive quests against the rich backdrop of indigenous civilisations that the conquistadors both encountered and destroyed. Hemming writes with the authoritative clarity of a seasoned historian and the vivid narrative flair of a master storyteller, illuminating the collision between Old World greed and New World wonder with striking precision. The book argues that the legend of El Dorado, far from being mere fantasy, was rooted in genuine indigenous ceremonies and the dazzling goldwork of cultures like the Muisca — artefacts of which grace the very pages of this volume. A landmark work in the history of South American exploration, it raises a haunting question: what was truly lost in the relentless pursuit of gold?