The Quest for El Dorado: Sir Walter Raleigh and the Search for the City of Gold (Hardcover) (ISBN-13: 9798897101863)

A new history of the Renaissance's greatest feat of exploration: Sir Walter Raleigh's search for the legendary city of El Dorado, by New York Times bestselling author David Gibbins.

In 1594, English adventurer Sir Walter Raleigh heard the story of a lost city in South America from a Spanish conquistador. Setting out from Plymouth in February 1595, Raleigh reached the mouth of the Orinoco River and traveled over four hundred miles inland to find it. Along the way, he captured galleons full of treasure, fought the Spanish, and befriended the indigenous peoples.

Hoping to win favor with Queen Elizabeth I, he was convinced that a "gold-rich empire more lucrative than Peru" lay just beyond reach. He vowed to return once more, so he could finally earn fame and fortune. The book that he wrote about his voyage, Discoverie, reveals the worldview of Europeans on the cusp of the modern era and the enormous drive that the search for unimaginable riches gave men such as Raleigh during the Age of Exploration. But, after he was imprisoned by James I, with a death sentence hanging over him, his hopes were put on hold for years until he was finally granted a second chance to try again.

The Quest for El Dorado is a compelling new narrative of one of the most enduring myths in history. Based on contemporary sources and his own researches as a maritime archaeologist, David Gibbins tells a story of exploration and plunder, shedding new light on Raleigh's famous voyages.

Author: David Gibbins
ISBN-13: 9798897101863
Publisher: Pegasus Books
Language: English
Published: 09/01/2026
Pages: 320
Format: Hardcover
Weight: 1.17lbs