Book Description

"The History of the Conquest of New Spain is a subject in which great interest is felt at the present day, and the English public will hail these memoirs, which contain the only true and complete account of that important transaction. "The author of this original and charming production, to which he justly gives the title of 'The True History of the Conquest of New Spain,' was himself one of the Conquistadores; one who not only witnessed the transactions which he relates, but who also performed a glorious part in them; a soldier who, for impartiality and veracity, perhaps never had his equal. His account is acknowledged to be the only one on which we can place reliance, and it has been the magazine from which the most eloquent of the Spanish writers on the same subject, as well as those of other countries, have borrowed their best materials. Some historians have even transcribed whole pages, but have not had sufficient honesty to acknowledge it. "The author, while living, was never rewarded for the great services he had rendered his country, and it is remarkable that, after his death, his very memoirs were pillaged by court historians, to raise a literary monument to themselves." -from Translator's Preface "Next to the Expedition of Cyrus and the Commentaries of Caesar, we have met with no works of a kindred nature which will be read with more intense interest than the volumes before us." -Times "If we were asked to put our hand on the most thoroughly interesting works that the present season has produced, we should certainly include Mr. Lockhart's excellent translation, and we emphatically recommend it as a rich and moral fund of entertainment and information." -Morning Post "We could readily occupy many of our columns with extracts to delight our friends, but their very abundance startles us, and we would rather sat at once that the whole account is of such unmixed attraction - carries you on with such variety and effect of action - paints the inhabitants of the New World and their invaders in such striking colors, possesses so high a historical value, and is so rich in every kind of information belonging to the circumstances, the country, and the epoch, that the best review of it would be a reprint of the whole, with notes of admiration." -Literary Gazette "We are happy to receive from Mr. Lockhart's hands an excellent translation of these memoirs." -Britannia "The author was a brave old soldado, the companion in arms of Cortes, in the conquest of New Spain, who, in old age and retirement, amused himself with writing the history of the 119 battles in which he had been engaged, and the memorable events he had witnessed." -Tait's Edinburgh Magazine "The testimony of these qualities, and of his achievements, are now given to the public by Mr. Lockhart in an English version. The original Spanish manuscript remained unpublished for upwards of sixty years after the death of Diaz, when a monk of the Order of Mercy, or of the Redemption of Captives, Alonzo Remon, drew it from oblivion....An achievement of great merit. Mr. Lockhart, by his translation of this rare old Spanish writer, will afford to all who love original narratives by eye-witnesses high and rational gratification. The book deserves a place in every well-chosen library." -The Gentleman's Magazine