Most important work on the conquests of Cortés
Bernal Díaz del Castillo, 1632
DÍAZ DEL CASTILLO, Bernal (c.1492-1581). Historia verdadera de la conquista de la Nueva-España. Madrid: Imprenta del Reyno, 1632 [but later].

The second edition of the most important work on Cortés and the conquest of Mexico. While this edition with the letterpress title is identified by Sabin as the first edition, first issue, it is in fact a later pirated edition. Díaz del Castillo participated in some 120 battles during Cortés's expedition through Central America and was an eyewitness to the entire conquest of Mexico, from 1519 to 1521. In 1524, he accompanied Cortés on the expedition to Honduras. He wrote this work between 1552 and 1557 to refute the previously published narrative of the conquest by López de Gómara, Chaplain of the Cortés expedition; Díaz del Castillo's account constitutes perhaps the principal authority for the history of the conquest. Sabin 19978 (as first edition, first issue); Obadiah Rich, Catalogue of Books relating Principally to America, 200; see Carlos Fernández González, "Análisis tipográfico de las dos primeras ediciones de la Historia verdadera de la conquista de la Nueva España de Bernal Díaz del Castillo," in Boletín De La Real Academia Española, July-Dec 2011.

Folio (294 x 208mm). Ornamental title border, woodcut initials and ornaments (some scattered light spotting, repaired marginal tear affecting side note on Y3, Y6 reinforced at inner margin). Contemporary limp vellum, ink title on spine (some light wear).