By Right of Conquest

By Right of Conquest

With Cortez in Mexico

by G. A. Henty
Publisher: Robinson Curriculum
Library Binding, 400 pages
Current Retail Price: $29.99
Not in stock

Historical Setting: Mexico, 1595 A. D.

The conquest of Mexico by a small band of resolute men under the magnificent leadership of Cortez is always rightly ranked among the most romantic and daring exploits in history. With this as the ground-work of his story, Mr. Henty interweaves the adventures of Roger Hawkshaw, the sole survivor of the good ship Swan, which had sailed from Devonport to challenge the mercantile supremacy of the Spaniards in the New World. He eventually obtains the protection of the Spaniards, and after the fall of Mexico he succeeds in regaining his native shore, with a fortune and a charming Aztec bride.

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  Good Overall, but With A Few Inaccuracies
HappyHomemaker of Oregon, 9/28/2011
Like most Henty books, this one whetted my appetite to find more about this time in history. When I did, I found that Henty misrepresents the Spaniards in this book. Like most of his books (but not all) Henty speaks very well of the English (our hero is almost always English) and in this one the Spaniards are somewhat caricatured as gold-hungry and blood-thirsty. From my other reading, Cortez was mainly concerned with spreading the gospel. Why else would he take 500 men against 1,000,000? So, that was a little irritating, but overall I enjoyed the other historical details.