Anghiera, Pietro Martire d' [Peter Martyr]:

$15,000 · Offered by William Reese Company · No longer available

DE REBUS OCEANICIS & ORBE NOVO DECADES TRES: QUIBUS QUICQUID DE INVENTIS NUPER TERRIS TRADITUM, NOVARUM RERUM CUPIDUM LECTOREM RETINERE POSSIT, COPIOSE, FIDELITER, ERUDITEQUE DOCETUR. EIUSDEM ... The R. David Parsons copy of this esteemed early Americanum, comprising Martyr's initial three Decades, first published in 1516, and supplemented by an abridgment of the fourth Decade. Martyr, a native of Italy, served the Spanish court in numerous capacities: soldier, priest, courtier, chaplain, teacher, historian, and ambassador. "In 1520 he became secretary to the Council of the Indies and later was appointed by emperor Charles V as the first official chronicler of the Indies. Although Martyr never set foot in the New World, he used his privileged position as a courtier to gather a great wealth of information from documents and through personal interviews. Following the model of the Latin historian Titus Livius, the Decades are volumes written in Latin divided into ten books each. They cover all aspects of the New World - the geography, the natural world...the natives, and all major events after the discovery" - Delgado-Gomez.Based on first-hand information the author was able to access through his position on the Council of the Indies, the Decades include accounts of the discoveries of Columbus, Vespucci, Cabot, and Cortés. In addition, there is information concerning the conquest of Mexico and details regarding Spanish settlements in the New World including Florida, Cuba, Hispan

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