The Creature in the Map: A Journey to El Dorado [Paperback]

Charles Nicholl (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 23, 1997 | ISBN-10: 0226580253 | ISBN-13: 978-0226580258

"This brilliantly written reconstruction of Sir Walter Raleigh's 1595 South American journey combines painstaking scholarship, vivid travelogue, and an intuitive sensitivity for the many meanings of the El Dorado myth. . . . Nicholl brings this six-week expedition to life. . . . A rare treat for both intellect and imagination."—Kirkus Reviews

"Walter Raleigh . . . was one of those Elizabethan all-rounders who still seem staggeringly larger than life. . . . Mr. Nicholl's cogent reconstruction of the journey uses Raleigh's own account, 'The Discoverie of Guiana'—part truth, part advertising, part rhapsody—and much well-found ancillary material."—Anthony Bailey, New York Times

"Like The Reckoning, his brilliant account of the murder of Christopher Marlowe, Nicholl's new book might be called an exercise in historical conjuring. The Creature in the Map is an effort not only to analyse but also to call into presence the lived experience of the voyage Raleigh undertook in 1595 to the Orinoco Delta in what is now Venezuela."—Stephen Greenblatt, Times Literary Supplement

"Charles Nicholl belongs to an elite company, that of historians who know how to make research into arcane matters and distant times as engrossing as In Cold Blood or All the President's Men."—Michael Dirda, Washington Post

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

In May 1595, a hundred Englishmen - "gentlemen, soldiers, rowers, boat-keepers, boys, and of all sorts" - rowed up a river in South America in search of the lost golden city of El Dorado. They were led by Sir Walter Ralegh, forty years old, ready to hazard his fading reputation on this doomed gamble.

Four hundred years later Charles Nicholl follows their trail into the strange terrain of this enduring international obsession. The journey begins with Ralegh's curious "charte" in the British Museum and leads through the labrynthine delta of the Orinoco River and up to the rugged highlands of southern Venezuela. In this vivid reconstruction, Charles Nicholl blends solid historical scholarship with idiosyncratic modern reportage in a unique and entertaining mix --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

In the grand scheme of things, Sir Walter Raleigh's 1595 expedition to the Guiana Highlands of Venezuela did not count for much. English writer Nicholl, whose previous books have been travel adventures or Elizabethan biography, combines his interests to reconstruct Raleigh's search for El Dorado based on the original documents and Nicholl's 1992 journey along the same route. The result is less than the sum of its parts. Specialists expecting a book similar to Nicholl's The Reckoning (LJ 3/1/94) and general readers expecting a rollicking travel adventure similar to Borderlines (LJ 6/1/89) will both be somewhat disappointed. Yet Nicholl has produced a useful study that places Raleigh's journey in the context of the El Dorado legend. While general readers will enjoy the account of Nicholl's journey, his book is primarily for specialized collections in Elizabethan England and the European exploration of South America.?Stephen H. Peters, Northern Michigan Univ. Lib., Marquette
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 405 pages
• Publisher: University Of Chicago Press (June 23, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0226580253
• ISBN-13: 978-0226580258
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,001,609 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars I can't believe I'm the first to review this book, August 18, 2011

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N. Gold "trismegistus" (Oakland, CA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Creature in the Map: A Journey to El Dorado (Paperback)

This is a great book. Niccholl does a masterful job of weaving a complete manuscript from a handful of threads. Anyone interested in the psychology and madness of exploration should add this book to their reading list.