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(MEXICO.) Díaz del Castillo, Bernal.
Historia verdadera de la conquista de la
Nueva España.
Engraved title page featuring a portrait of Cortés, a view of México and a
small map of the New World. [4], 256, [6] pages. 4to, later speckled calf, moderate wear,
rejointed; moderate dampstaining, several leaves reinforced or repaired in margins of lower
corner, dealer description laid down on front free endpaper, tightly trimmed with a few
headlines grazed, a few leaves toned, occasional early notes and underlining, edges tinted
red; large bookplate on front pastedown.
Madrid: Emprenta del Reyno, 1632
[10,000/15,000]
First edition, likely second issue, with the addition of a new engraved title page and a final
chapter added to the first issue of the same year. Díaz del Castillo came to Panama in 1514.
Within a few years, he attempted to settle in Cuba, fought in the Yucatan and Florida, and
most significantly served under Cortés in Mexico. He wrote this account in the 1550s and
1560s while serving as governor of Guatemala, in response to the work of López de Gómara.
The manuscript remained unpublished until 1632, long after his death. European Americana
632/28; Medina, BHA 899; Palau 72354n (describing this issue with four preliminary
leaves plus the title as found here); Sabin 19978.