History of the Conquest of Mexico (Library of Essential Reading Series) Book

This book is astounding!

Like others, I suspect, I thought I had some decent grasp on the story of the conquest of the Aztecs by Cortés and his conquistadores. I was aware of the Aztec belief that a white god was returning in the very year that Cortés showed up, a belief that attenuated their response to his advent. And the fact that they were overawed by the horses and hardware. All that stuff. The truth, I found, was that I hadn't a clue until I read this splendid history.

It is an utterly fascinating, nearly unbelievable story told in an admirable style. Published in 1843, William H. Prescott's style takes a little getting used to. One is soon in the swing of it, however, and soon after that one begins to relish it.