Nature in the New World: From Christopher Columbus to Gonzalo Fernandez De Oviedo - Softcover

Gerbi, Antonello

Softcover

ISBN 10: 082296080X ISBN 13: 9780822960805

Publisher: University of Pittsburgh Press, 2010

Synopsis

In ""Nature in the New World"", Antonello Gerbi examines the fascinating reports of the first Europeans to see the Americas. These accounts provided the basis for the images of strange and new flora, fauna, and human creatures that filled European imaginations. Initial chapters are devoted to the writings of Columbus, Vespucci, Cortes, Verrazzano, and others. The second portion of the book concerns the ""Historia general y natural de las Indias"" of Gonzalo Fernandez de Oviedo, a work commissioned by Charles V of Spain in 1532 but not published in its entirety until the 1850s. Gerbi contends that Oviedo, a Spanish administrator who lived in Santo Domingo, has been unjustly neglected as a historian. In this book, Gerbi shows Oviedo to be a major authority on the culture, history, and conquest of the New World.

About this title

Review

"This book glows with the fully assimilated learning of the polymath Gerbi, whose command and understanding of the literature of various cultures enlightens every page. Neither a notice nor a full-fledged review could do justice either to the brilliance of the book or to the felicity of Moyle's translation. The book must be read to be appreciated."
--Early American Literature

"A fascinating work, it is divided into two parts: the first deals with eleven writers from Columbus to Verrazzano, while the remaining two-thirds of the book deal with the other treasure from the Indies--Oviedo's writings and observations. . . . This prodigiously learned work is full of good things."
--Bulletin of Hispanic Studies

"This is an extraordinary work in excellent translation. . . . An expert will know what to look for and how to evaluate the entire volume. The grade it receives is bound to be high. Others may simply delight in the unexpected elements of quadrivium and trivium that continually jump from the pages of this book. . . . Thorough, valuable, and exciting."
--Journal of American History

About the Author

Antonello Gerbi (1904-1976) was a specialist on the history of political ideology and the author of several books, including The Dispute of the New World: The History of a Polemic, 1750-1900.

About this edition

• Publisher: University of Pittsburgh Press
• Publication date: 2010
• ISBN 10: 082296080X
• ISBN 13: 9780822960805
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 462