Rivers of Gold

Resumen del libro

The first part of his trilogy on the Spanish Empire, Hugh Thomas' "Rivers of Gold" brings the rise of Spain's global empire vividly to life, capturing the spirit of an ebullient age. Inspired by hopes of both riches and of converting native people to Christianity, the Spanish adventurers of the fifteenth century convinced themselves that an Earthly Paradise existed in the Caribbean. This is the story of the hundreds of conquistadors who set sail on the precarious journey across the Atlantic - taking with them wheat, the horse, the guitar and the wheel as well as guns, malaria and slaves - to create an empire that made Spain the envy of the world.

"Affirms Hugh Thomas' record as one of the most productive and wide-ranging historians of modern times". ("The New York Times"). "Splendid...bold and strong in its outlines, rich in fasinating details".

(Paul Johnson, "Literary Review"). "So steeped is he in the spirit of the time, so familiar with its people and places that we almost feel he must have been there at the time". ("Sunday Telegraph").

"A vivid, dramatic and compelling narrative". (Arthur Schlesinger, "Jr"). "As a historian, Thomas is master of the big picture..."Rivers of Gold" sweeps us restlessly on".

Biografía del autor

Hugh Thomas nació en Windsor en 1931, estudió en la Universidad de Cambridge y en la Sorbona, y fue profesor de la Academia Real Militar de Sandhurst y de la Universidad de Reading. En 1961 se dio a conocer internacionalmente con su libro La guerra civil española, que tuvo una gran resonancia y se tradujo a numerosos idiomas; le siguieron Cuba: la lucha por la libertad (3 volúmenes), Goya y el 3 de mayo de 1808, Paz armada, Una historia inacabada del mundo y La conquista de México, publicado, con gran éxito de crítica y público, por Editorial Planeta. En 1981 fue nombrado par (lord Thomas de Swynnerton). Murió en Londres en 2017.