Letters from Mexico by Cortes, Hernan; Translated by Pagdon, Anthony; with an Introduction by J. H. Elliott - 1987

New Haven and London: Yale University Press, 1987. First Edition, First Printing. Fine Hardcover in a Fine Dust Jacket. Fine/Fine.

No Flaws or Blemishes but minimal shelf handling; Still Gift Quality. 9.5 inches tall; 563 pages followed by a two-page map. Index; Chapter notes and Bibliography; a few illustrations.. 'The definitive edition [of the letters] in any language. . . . The book is a 'must' for all those who are seriously interested in this traumatic clash of civilizations and the consequences, both for good and ill, which ensued.' [C. R. Boxer, English Historical Review]

Hernán Cortés's Cartas de Relacíon, written over a seven-year period to Charles V of Spain, provide an extraordinary narrative account of the conquest of Mexico from the founding of the coastal town of Veracruz until Cortés's journey to Honduras in 1525.

Pagden's English translation has been prepared from a close examination of the earliest surviving manuscript and of the first printed editions, and he also provides a new introduction offering a bold and innovative interpretation of the nature of the conquest and Cortes's involvement in it. J. H. Elliot's introductory essay explains Cortes's conflicts with the Crown and with Diego Velazquez, the governor of Cuba.