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An enthralling account of the conflicting experiences of discovering the New World, drawing upon the intriguing tales of early discovery and amazing illustrations of the day. The authors invoke the unique exhilaration of exploration, investigating the conflict between the ambitious idealism and harsh realities that have always characterized and torn the country. After all, did people not go to America in search of both the Garden of Eden and the tribes of the damned?
‘At its best, ‘America Magica’ exhibits one of the most impressive aspects of early 1990s work on Europe’s early modern encounter with the wider world: integrated consideration of ancient and medieval intellectual legacies, early modern cultural constructions, and the practical realities of fifteenth- and sixteenth-century life. […] A handy reference for those perusing European explorers’ journals or geographic treatises and wondering where these odd ideas about griffins, lost cities, and dog-headed men came from.’ —Paul Mapp, College of William & Mary, ‘Journal of World History’
Jorge Magasich Airola is Professor of Latin American History at the Institut des Hautes Etudes des Communications Sociales (HECS) in Brussels.
Marc de Beer is Professor at the Institut de Radio électricité et de Cinématographie (INRACI) in Brussels.
David Abulafia is Professor of Mediterranean History at the University of Cambridge.
Foreword by David Abulafia; Preface; Introduction; In Search of the Earthly Paradise; On the Threshold of Paradise; King Solomon’s Mines in America; The Realms of Gold; The Indomitable Amazons; The Legendary Isles of the Ocean Sea; Wondrous Creatures; The Patagonian Giants; Epilogue; Notes; References; Index