Hernando de Soto

An interesting book that firmly pushes the idea that Soto was a murderous butcher intent on destroying whatever and whomever was in his was as he sought gold in the New World.David Ewing Duncan takes us from South America to Spain and finally North America with Soto leading the way at all times. We're with Soto and his men as the entrada into Florida starts well but ends, three years later, with the remaining men scurrying off to Mexico after a decidedly unpleasant time spent in the Southeastern USA.A little more about what happened after Soto's death would have gone a long way. Not bad, though.

Hernando de Soto was only 42 years old when he died. But in those 42 years he participated in and then led many explorations of Central, South and North America in the early 1500's. He and his fellow soldiers also brutally killed thousands of native peoples, captured and sold into slavery others, and took food, lodging, other necessities and, most importantly, gold and silver wherever he found them."Hernando de Soto, A Savage Quest in the Americas" is a no-holds-barred, well researched history on the life of one of Spain's most famous, and notorious, conquistadors. It follows him from his hardscrabble life as a boy in Spain, to his joining an expedition to the New World at age 14, to fame as a captain under Pizarro in the conquering of the Inca in Peru.He triumphantly returns to Spain where he lobbies for a commission to explore and colonize North America and, of course, find more gold. Soto's savage quest in the Southeastern US is a look at one of the earliest explorations of the area, the sophisticated people who lived there and the impact of the Spanish explorers on the future of the new nation.This is an incredible story of bravery, obsession and greed. It is not the kind of history that's taught in school. But it is part of the history of the Americas and it helps put in perspective how the New World grew and why some things are the way they are today.

This work could sit proudly alongside other works of the Conquest such as: Hugh Thomas's, "Rivers of Gold" and "Montezuma, Cortes, and the Fall of Old Mexico", also John Hemming's, "The Conquest of The Incas" and `The Search For El Dorado". It is perfect in almost every way as other reviewers have noted, a literary masterpiece.Personally I am sick and tired of the constant comments concerning Soto and the rest of the conquistadors as a "pile of trash", "horrible men" etc., etc., as if the commentators suffer from a guilt complex because they are inheritors of the European Conquest or as if they are using as their standard modern humane liberals. Soto and the rest were products of their time, nothing more, nothing less. Take a look at their contemporaries in Protestant England and the Dutch conquerors of the East Indies. Also the rulers of the City States of Italy and the Papacy and the conquests of the Ottoman Turks. It was truly a barbaric and cruel age . There were few "humane" figures such as Father Bartolome De Las Casas, Cabeza de Vaca or Samuel de Champlain.Also this is great account of an important period of exploration, to set alongside histories of the other great explorations in history. I would love to see Duncan do more work along this line, we may have one great historian here.

This is an excellent and detailed account to Soto's explorations of the new world for history buffs.

This is an equisite work only if you are a history buff. Do not attempt to acquire it unless you have a very serious interest in early American history [meaning all of north, central and the southern Americas].Although very well written; this is not an easy book to read unless you have a very keen intersest in early and ancient history. It is not a "nice" but for reading pleasure; it is a very harsh, brutal and accurate conveyance of the reality of our heritage.The book is also extremely detailed which makes it more difficult to read than most books ...in fact, as amazing as it is, "The Florida of the Inca" is probably slightly more easy to read than this work.Never-the-Less; I highly recommend this work for serious readers of accurate renditions of what took place some 500 years ago during the discovery and conquest by the Spaniards and Portugese.

excelent condition I recieve at time thank you so muchI would like to recieve similar items or other about to US-Cuba relations before 1959

Well-written, engaging story of a savage time in American history.

This book really goes far outside what I expected in it. I thought it was going to be focused more on de Soto's journeys through the present day U.S. The book outlined major details of what was going on in the time of de Soto's life as well as details around his life. Sometimes I felt the author took a bit too much creative liberty in trying to form facts that were not recorded in history. In spite of that, it was a decent book and I did enjoy reading it.

A really engrossing account of the life of Hernando de Soto. I cannot fault the research which has gone into this book. It is a real page turner and an illuminating account of the conquistador period.