DIAZ DEL CASTILLO Bernal Historia Verdadera de la Conquista de la Nueva España.

Alden, 632/27; Sabin, 19978; Medina, BHA, 898; Streit, II, 1609; Palau, 72354n; Delgado-Gomez, Spanish Historical writing about the New World, 10.

First edition, first issue, much rarer than the second issue, appearing in the same year without date. In itself the book hardly needs any appraisal, being the principal work on the explorations of Hernan Cortez and the conquest of Mexico, and functioning as the most prominent source for all historiographers writing on this subject ever since its publication.

Diaz participated in some 120 battles during Cortez’ expedition through Central America and was an eye-witness to all dealings with the Aztecs and other Indians. But more than a minute chronicler, Diaz was a keen observer gifted with perspicacity and knowledge of the human psyche. His account of Cortez’s meeting with Montezuma, the imprisonment of the Aztec prince, the escape from Mexico and the final return remain the most impressive parts of the book, though the descriptions of the internal dissensions in the Spanish army and Cortez’s character give a clear picture of the circumstances of the enterprise.

“He provided memorable descriptions of Tenochtilan, and lively portraits of Cortez, Alvarado, Montezuma, Cuauhtemoc and many others. His account is also enriched with innumerable personal anecdotes not recorded anywhere else. His major success lies in his ability to recreate and evaluate his own perceptions and feelings as a conquistador, which he conveys in a sincere and almost conversational style. The Historia verdadera was published long after Diaz’s death by Fr. Alonso Remon, a Mercedarian who edited the text so as to praise his order. In the last two centuries it has become one of the most popular books on colonial Spanish America” (Delgado-Gomez).

Small restoration on the title page affecting the border, some stains on a few leaves but a good copy in its first binding of this extremely rare book.