Historia general de los hechos de los castellanos en las Islas y Tierra Firme del Mar Oceano,

Escrita por Antonio de Herrera coronista mayor de Sv Md. de las Indias y sv coronista de Castilla. En quatro decades desde al año de 1492 hasta el de 531. Decada primera al rey Nuro Señor. Madrid : Officina Real de Nicolas Rodriguez Franco, 1726 – 1730. Eight volumes (decades) bound in five, with the compendious “Tabla General de cosas notables” bound at the end of the last volume, modern half-calf over marbled papered boards, new endpapers, engraved title pages, collation below, lacking some of the dedication leaves, internally clean, a good set.

Vol. 1: Engraved title page dated 1730 for the Decada Primera, light foxing and small loss to right margin, 16 unnumbered leaves (of 19, lacking three leaves directions to the reader El Impresor), 78 pages (lacking pp. 67-70); engraved title page dated 1730 for Descripción de las Indias Ocidentales, 2 preliminary leaves, 292 pages; and 14 folding engraved maps.

Vol. 2 : Engraved title page dated 1726 for the Decada Segunda, light foxing and small loss to lower right corner, 2 unnumbered leaves, pp. 288; engraved title page dated 1726 for the Decada Tercera, staining and small loss to lower right corner, lacking the printed dedication leaf, pp. 296 (p, 17 misnumbered 19), final leaf foxed, small water stain to corner edges of final few leaves.

Vol. 3 : Engraved title page dated 1730 for the Decada Quarta, light foxing and small loss to lower right corner, 2 unnumbered leaves, pp. 232; engraved title page dated 1728 for the Decada Quinta, staining and small loss to lower right corner, lacking the three leaves of dedications, pp. 252.

Vol. 4 : Engraved title page dated 1730 for the Decada Sesta, 2 unnumbered leaves, pp. 236; engraved title page dated 1730 for the Decada Setima, lacking the two leaves of dedications, pp. 245.

Vol. 5 : Engraved title page dated 1730 for the Decada Octava, lacking the two leaves of dedications, pp. 251; 225 unnumbered leaves of index (Tabla General).

The second edition of this comprehensive history of the Spanish discovery and conquest of the New World, “deservedly regarded as the best edition” (Sabin). This set lacks some of the dedication  leaves as well as two leaves of text, but is otherwise complete with all the maps in fine condition.

‘Antonio de Herrera y Tordesillas was secretary to the viceroy of Naples. Philip II also designated him official chronicler of Castile and the Indies. He wrote numerous historical works and translations of classical texts. The Historia general was his principal work, published in Madrid in seven volumes from 1601 to 1615. It was translated into Latin and French in 1622, into German in 1624, and into Dutch in 1706. Herrera never travelled to America but was able to obtain information from official documents kept by the Crown and the Council of the Indies. He consulted manuscripts by authors such as Bartolomé de Las Casas and Pedro Cieza de León. When narrating Hernando de Soto’s expedition to North America, Herrera copied directly from an early draft of Florida written by Garcilaso Inca de la Vega. – University of Notre Dame Library https://rarebooks.library.nd.edu/exhibits/durand/indies/herrera.html

List of maps, which cover South America, and the Pacific:

Descripcion de Las Yndias Ocidentales.
Descripcion de Las Yndias del Norte. 
Descripcion del Destricto del Audencia de la Española. 
Descripcion del Destricto del Audiencia de Nueva España. 
Descripcion del Districto de la Audiencia de la Nueva Galicia. 
Descripcion del Audiencia de Guatimala. 
Descripcion de las Yndias de Mediodia. 
Descripcion del Audiencia de Panama.
Descripcion de la Audiencia del Nuevo Reino. 
Descripcion del Audiencia del Quito. 
Descripcion del Destricto del Audiencia de Lima.
Descripcion del Audiencia de los Charcas.
Descripcion de la Provincia de Chile.
Descripcion de las Indias del Poniente. 

Hill 805; Palau 114287; Sabin 31546.

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