Missionary in Sonora, The Travel Reports of Joseph Och, S.J. 1755-1767

San Francisco: California Historical Society, 1965. First Edition. 1/4 cloth. Near fine/very good. A near fine first edition. Brown quarter cloth under yellow cloth boards with gilt motif. Gilt title stamping on spine. From the private library of Larry Southwick, collector's marginalia pencilled near front hinge. In a very good, original, unclipped dust jacket. Dust jacket showing a 1 inch closed tear and a crease. Dust jacket now protected in a clear, removable, archival cover. Illustrated with maps and drawings. 196 pp. including index. Octavo. Och's comments on Spanish life and customs, both in the Old World and in the New, provide many a gem of human interest. He finds fault with the Spanish people for their failure to take advantage of business opportunities, with Spanish officials for graft and greed, with Spanish sea captains for inefficiency, and with Spanish miners for waste and incompetence. But ultimately he gives the Spanish their due: "I must admit that in my fourteen years among the Spaniards I experienced more honor, love, service, generosity, politeness and friendliness than I did during my whole life among my countrymen, brothers, and friends!' With the keen eye of an interested traveler he describes the mint in Mexico City and the problems of coinage and currency, the sale and manufacture of cigarettes, the problems of stockmen and miners on the frontier, and the secularization of missions. He dwells at length on almost every aspect of Indian culture: their virtues and vices, their skills and aptitude for learning, their dress, food, drink, dances, medicine, etc.But the most important part of this missionary's journal is his account of theexpulsion of the Jesuits from New Spain. It is one of the most valuable primarysources on the subject and richly deserves translation into English. There is nosubstitute for the freshness, vividness, and realism of a well-written, firsthandreport. ---California Historical Society Quarterly