The Conquistador in California: 1535: The Voyage of Fernando Cortes to Baja California in Chronicles and Documents
Los Angeles: Dawson's Book Shop, 1973. First Edition, Edition limited to 500 copies printed by Grant Dahlstrom at the Castle Press. Octavo; 123 pp, illustrations including folding map; Bibliography; map of New Spain in pocket at rear. Fine unread copy in publisher's yellow cloth lettered in gold at spine. Baja California Travels Series 31. Item #22260
ISBN: 0870932314
In this volume, the editors have made important contributions to the body of scholarly knowledge of the exploration period of Baja California. They help fill the vacuum that has long existed in English translations of the source materials pertaining to the West Coast of North America which is available to scholars. Because of the rich civilization Cortés found and conquered in Mexico, scholars and laymen alike tend to dismiss his explorations outside of Mexico as deserving little attention. In fact, these explorations rivaled his original expedition in their contributions of new knowledge about the still unexplored continent of North America. Had his expedition to Baja California been done by another conquistador, it would have been considered a major one which helped to fill out the early segmented exploration of the California coasts. The four accounts, selected, translated, and edited by Mathes for his book, The Conquistador in California: 1535, with its supporting documents make volume 31 of the Baja California Travel Series worthy of detailed study by any scholar.
Price: $150.00