1704 Fernand Cortez Conquest of Mexico French Tome II Only, Illustrated
$ 132.0
Description
1704 Fernand Cortez Conquest of Mexico French Tome II Only, Illustrated. Bound in full leather with gilt decoration to the spine, raised bands, marbled endpapers, and red-stained edges. 3 engraved plates are present. Description Histoire de la conqueste du Mexique, ou de la Nouvelle Espagne par Fernand Cortez, translated from the Spanish of Dom Antoine de Solis by the author of the Triumvirat. Paris: Par la Compagnie des Libraires, 1704. Tome II only. An early 18th-century French edition of Antonio de Solis’s influential history of the Spanish conquest of Mexico, centered on Hernan Cortes and the fall of the Aztec empire. This was one of the best-known European accounts of New Spain in the period and remained widely read for generations. The present copy is an appealing small-format antiquarian volume with strong shelf presence. Bound in full leather with gilt decoration to the spine, raised bands, marbled endpapers, and red-stained edges. Measures about 6.5 x 4 x 1 inches. 3 engraved plates are present. There is an old circular ownership stamp and an early ink inscription dated 1708. Condition is good antique condition overall: rubbing and wear to the binding, especially at the spine ends, joints, and corners; some surface wear to the boards; interior generally clean and readable with expected age toning and occasional spotting; text block appears sound. Contains 3 full page engraved plates, including one foldout. - Bataille dans la vallée d’Ottumba: the Battle of Otumba, showing Cortes’s army in the open field after the disastrous retreat from Mexico City, one of the decisive moments that allowed the Spaniards to regroup instead of being destroyed. - Combat des Brigantins de Cortez contre les canots des Mexicains: the naval fighting on the lake during the siege of Tenochtitlan, with Cortes’s brigantines engaging large numbers of Mexican canoes around the waters and causeways approaching the city. - Retraite de Guatimozin pris par Holguin: the attempted flight and capture of Guatimozin or Cuauhtemoc, the last Aztec ruler, taken by Garcia de Holguin during the final collapse of Mexico-Tenochtitlan. Provenance includes a near-contemporary ink acquisition note dated August 16, 1708, and a later circular ownership stamp apparently of the Lefebvre/Lefebure de Fourcy family. All books we sell are original copies, we do not sell reproductions. Free shipping, free no questions asked 30 day returns (within USA), eBay Global Shipping Program to other countries.
