History of the Conquest of Mexico With a Preliminary View of the Ancient Mexican Civilization, and The Life Of the Conqueror, Hernando Cortés. 3-vol. set (Complete)
by Prescott, William H
- Used
- Hardcover
- Condition
- g+ to vg
- Seller
-
Santa Monica, California, United States
Payment Methods Accepted
About This Item
Philadelphia: David McKay, 1892. Later edition. Hardcover. g+ to vg. Octavo (8 1/2 x 6"). 430pp (Vol. 1); 402pp (Vol. 2); 448pp (Vol. 3). Contemporary 3/4 calf over marbled paper covered boards, with gold lettering and tooling to spines. Marbled endpapers. Top edges gilt. Tissue-guarded frontispiece in each volume.
Originally published in 1843, this pioneering study presents a compelling view of the clash of civilizations that reverberates in Latin America to this day.
"Regarded simply from the standpoint of literary criticism, the Conquest of Mexico is Prescott's masterpiece," judged his biographer Harry Thurston Peck.
"More than that, it is one of the most brilliant examples which the English language possesses of literary art applied to historical narration. . . . Here, as nowhere else, has Prescott succeeded in delineating character. All the chief actors of his great historic drama not only live and breathe, but they are as distinctly differentiated as they must have been in life. Cortés and his lieutenants are persons whom we actually come to know in the pages of Prescott. . . . Over against these brilliant figures stands the melancholy form of Montezuma, around whom, even from the first, one feels gathering the darkness of his coming fate. He reminds one of some hero of Greek tragedy, doomed to destruction and intensely conscious of it, yet striving in vain against the decree of an inexorable destiny. . . . [Prescott] transmuted the acquisitions of laborious research into an enduring monument of pure literature."
Minor shelf wear. Previous owner's Ex-libris on inside of each front cover. Bindings in overall good+ to very good, interior in very good condition.
Originally published in 1843, this pioneering study presents a compelling view of the clash of civilizations that reverberates in Latin America to this day.
"Regarded simply from the standpoint of literary criticism, the Conquest of Mexico is Prescott's masterpiece," judged his biographer Harry Thurston Peck.
"More than that, it is one of the most brilliant examples which the English language possesses of literary art applied to historical narration. . . . Here, as nowhere else, has Prescott succeeded in delineating character. All the chief actors of his great historic drama not only live and breathe, but they are as distinctly differentiated as they must have been in life. Cortés and his lieutenants are persons whom we actually come to know in the pages of Prescott. . . . Over against these brilliant figures stands the melancholy form of Montezuma, around whom, even from the first, one feels gathering the darkness of his coming fate. He reminds one of some hero of Greek tragedy, doomed to destruction and intensely conscious of it, yet striving in vain against the decree of an inexorable destiny. . . . [Prescott] transmuted the acquisitions of laborious research into an enduring monument of pure literature."
Minor shelf wear. Previous owner's Ex-libris on inside of each front cover. Bindings in overall good+ to very good, interior in very good condition.
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Details
- Bookseller
- Eric Chaim Kline - Bookseller (US)
- Bookseller's Inventory #
- 45113
- Title
- History of the Conquest of Mexico With a Preliminary View of the Ancient Mexican Civilization, and The Life Of the Conqueror, Hernando Cortés. 3-vol. set (Complete)
- Author
- Prescott, William H
- Format/Binding
- Hardcover
- Book Condition
- Used - g+ to vg
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Edition
- Later edition
- Publisher
- David McKay
- Place of Publication
- Philadelphia
- Date Published
- 1892
- Keywords
- Latin America history
Terms of Sale
Eric Chaim Kline - Bookseller
30 day return guarantee, with full refund including shipping costs for up to 30 days after delivery if an item arrives misdescribed or damaged.
About the Seller
Eric Chaim Kline - Bookseller
Biblio member since 2009
Santa Monica, California
About Eric Chaim Kline - Bookseller
We offer a broad selection of rare, out-of-print and antiquarian books with an emphasis on photography, architecture, art, Judaica, Bibles, Weimar Germany and the Third Reich, modernism, Olympic Games, erotica and foreign-language works, especially German, Hebrew, Polish and Yiddish. We also provide appraisal, auction, consulting and rental services.
Glossary
Some terminology that may be used in this description includes:
- Shelf Wear
- Shelf wear (shelfwear) describes damage caused over time to a book by placing and removing a book from a shelf. This damage is...
- Edges
- The collective of the top, fore and bottom edges of the text block of the book, being that part of the edges of the pages of a...
- G+
- A term used to denote a condition a slight grade better than Good. Good is defined as "describes the average used and worn book...
- Calf
- Calf or calf hide is a common form of leather binding. Calf binding is naturally a light brown but there are ways to treat the...
- Gilt
- The decorative application of gold or gold coloring to a portion of a book on the spine, edges of the text block, or an inlay in...
- Good+
- A term used to denote a condition a slight grade better than Good.
- VG
- Very Good condition can describe a used book that does show some small signs of wear - but no tears - on either binding or...
- Octavo
- Another of the terms referring to page or book size, octavo refers to a standard printer's sheet folded four times, producing...
- Marbled Paper
- Decorative colored paper that imitates marble with a veined, mottled, or swirling pattern. Commonly used as the end papers or...