Customer Reviews

Incidents of travel in Yucatan

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

(Is there a way to give it no stars?)

A great disappointment to fans of Stephens and Catherwood. If you're looking for the real thing - this isn't it.

More properly titled:

"Karl Akerman's Unfortunate Abridgment of Stephens' and Catherwood's Incidents of Travel in Yucatan," this 286 page compilation is abridged, elided, and largely meaningless for anyone wishing to get the look and feel of the 600 pages of the two original volumes brilliantly written and illustrated by John Lloyd Stephens And Frederick Catherwood.

This book barely resembles the two original books, as it's missing a tremendous amount of historically styled and interesting text - and around 100 of Catherwood's exquisite drawings.

Go hunt down the Dover two volume edition - gladly pay the price - and settle in for a stunning read that hasn't been repurposed as an overview for the modern casual traveler to the Yucatan.

Now here's a publishing phenomenon. Stephens publishes his first book on the Maya and it is hailed by Edgar Allen Poe, among others, as "perhaps the most interesting book of travel ever published". His second book on the Maya, the one for sale on this page, was called "better than its brother" by William Hickling Prescott. 153 years slip by, and a new edition of "Incidents of Travel in Yucatan" is published by none other than Smithsonian Books.

I made the mistake of assuming the new edition, coming from Smithsonian Books, would be of high quality. How wrong I was.

Mr. Ackerman, in his own words, has reduced the text of this classic "by two thirds, but aims to preserve the spirit and essence of the original work". That's right, this "editor" cuts out 67% of one of the greatest works of literature in history, and has the impudence and effrontery to say he aims to preserve the book's spirit and essence. Then, taking the concept of hubris to a new level, he puts his name on the cover under that of the author--as though he had actually added something.

He has added nothing, only subtracted. Besides the 67% of the text, he also removed the name of Frederick Catherwood, who did the marvelous drawings, from the cover.

In the introduction, there is not the slightest hint of shame for the gut job, which he describes: "I have eliminated Stephens' description of the journeys to and from the region...I have tightened Stephens' prose, eliminated the detailed measurements of buildings and mounds, and excised long historical digressions and anecdotes...I have not used ellipses to indicate compression..."

With all the eliminations and excisions and hackings, Ackerman elects to leave in place misspellings because they "reveal Stephens' character and time". Let me get this straight. Historical digressions and anecdotes, admired by the likes of Poe and Prescott, must be cut. But misspellings must be preserved to reveal character and time? What sort of a wacky caricature of a scholar did the Smithsonian Scholarly Book Fund give a grant to?

I have tried to fathom why a person with an interest in archaeology and history and literature would maim a book in this fashion, but I'm at a loss. One would expect this sort of thing if Spielberg were making a biopic about Stephens. Then, the cuts would be necessary to fit the story into a 90-minute slot while keeping enough space for a sassy love interest and a talking jaguar. But this is a fantastic book that eight generations of readers from around the world have loved in its entirety.

Where is the Dover edition?

The two volume Dover edition is much much better. This is watered down, and doesn't contain the important details that make it so interesting. It has very few of the illustrations found in the two volume set. This was a big let down. I bought this thinking it was similar to the Dover addition which a friend of mine owned.

If you have ever been or are planning a trip to the ruin sites of the Yucatan this is a must read book! written over 150 years ago it still holds up today. It is a fascinating look at the early exploration of the Ancient Mayan cities lost to the jungle. Reading this book will make your trip much more enjoyable and educational.

Stephens and Catherwood were the Yucatán's first North American tourists back when the ruins of the Maya cities were still lost to the jungle. The narrative is engrossing especially if you can put yourself in their 19th century shoes. Surprisingly, there are still ruins to be discovered today in the jungles of the same peninsula that hosts Cancún. We recently followed Stephens' and Catherwood's trail to the ruins of Uxmal and Chichen Itzá using a new guidebook called Adventure Guide to the Yucatán by Bruce & June Conord. Though they don't actually lay out the identical route, they do mention overlapping parts of it and they treat the Maya ruins and civilization with the same awe that Stephens did. We carried both books and the Adventure Guide got us to places where Stephens had been that aren't even on the map. What a blast to read this book and actually stand in Stephens' footprints in the Yucatán. Incidents of Travel is an old fashioned book that has stood the test of time.

The original book is great reading for the style with which Stephens writes, for the view of the life at those times in Mexico, for the view of the life of the Indians, and for the sheer adventure of moving through the jungle, fighting malaria, to track down ancient ruins in the 1800s at a time when what is now the "Mayan Riviera" was only myth and rumor. The drawings by Catherwood are fascinating, and the whole adventure is more amazing for being a true story.
This edition has been significantly edited by Ackerman, I think lessening the power of the original, which at the moment is not sold by Amazon, but this edition combines the two books into one. 5 stars for the Stephens/Catherwood book, 3 for this version of it.

This series of books has been in print for over 150 years! If that doesn't impress you, then Frederick Catherwood's drawings will. The writing is a little archaic by today's standards, but the tale is important history

The book came quickly and was in great shape. All in all a very easy transaction and I'm pleased with the process.

This is your big Chance! When was the last time in this new Millenium that you made a purchase at a price from the old Millenium?
Incidents of Travel in Yucatan Volume II by John L. Stephens is your greatest opportunity- a historic classic with those great Catherwood illustrations! This volume II edition, first published in 1963, is actually part of a 2 volume set by Dover. This is a stand alone bargain! The Volume I Dover edition is sadly out of print.
An amazing traveloge, this represents a sourcebook with one of the first rediscovers of the wonderful world of the Maya. Ride with the author as he goes on his mission of discovery through the deep Mexican jungle of the 1840's.
This Classic eventually launched a number of scientific expeditions to the "World of the Maya". Absolutely Marvelous!
The rest of the story, that is Volume 1 and 2, is also available for you at Amazon in the 2008 Cosimo Classics Edition

Well im hooked, im gonna order the rest Johns books about Central Mexico here this month sometime. Very well written, every page takes me back to my trip to the Yucatan. I own quite a few books about Mexico and the Maya and have to say this one is up there in the top five. John was quite a character by the sounds of it. Tryed to steal some skulls from a Mayan grave yard, having sex with a few of the indian women also if my interpretation was correct. Theres a slight hint of him doing that talking about how pretty some of the women were and the "mayors" asking him what he thought about the women as he entered the villages. As far as his excitement about first laying eyes on new ruins, took me back to Chichen Itza. Great Book. Wish i would have bought this book alot sooner, and i reget reading it after picking up a few books about the Caste War which Johns trips happened before the war. Great reading and great pictures. If you love Maya books you wont be upset with this one, i dont think fiction could have been better then his trip. Hope you enjoy it as much as i did.