exploring past releases 2: The Happy Captive (1977)
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1abysswalker
My second exploration of past affordable releases is Francisco Núñez de Pineda y Bascuñán's 17th century memoir The Happy Captive (1977). The price I paid was $29 + $29 USD for shipping; $58 USD total (rounded). This book has been covered by wcarter already; from the comparison, it seems like the leather binding requires some care to keep fresh. Since I read it, you're going to get my thoughts too!
The author, a settler of Spanish descent in South America, recounts being taken captive by the Mapuche, a people who lived in what is now a part of Chile. The narrative is abridged, which I think is fine (and probably preferable) for a work like this. It was a quick read as is, but I imagine it could easily drag.
Given that this is a colonial narrative, I was prepared for inconsiderate or chauvinistic portrayal of native culture. The Spaniard displays an unsurprising attitude of cultural superiority but also an endearing curiosity about and respect for the Mapuche. I have read little serious history treating this period or geographical area, so I am poorly equipped to judge the reliability of the narrative beyond my immediate feelings. My sense is that the narrator is kept alive and treated well to begin with mostly because he was a valuable hostage, as the son of a respected Spanish military commander, but develops authentic friendship with several families of Mapuche. Most of the narrative is dedicated to maneuvering between the Mapuche, with his immediate captors trying to keep him out of the hands of more hostile factions that would likely execute the captive if given the chance. The parts that most stand out as perhaps overly gilded are when religion enters the picture, such as the enthusiastic response he recounts to teaching various elements of Catholicism to his captors.
The book is set in Poliphilus and (I assume based on the publication date and the feel of the page) printed letterpress, on Dalmore laid paper, which has a similar feel to the Stanhope I posted about before. I enjoy the texture of this paper.
The binding is quarter "skiver" leather, which from web searching seems like a process used to make softer, thinner leather by means of scraping. The leather seems to have held up rather well, and still feels nice, though in the pictures you can probably see some marks from light wear, probably a result of the softness. The simple cavalry soldier design stamped on the front board canvas is attractive.
I found the weakest element of the book to be the illustrations, which are vinyl-cuts. The illustrations fit the narrative well enough and are relatively plentiful, but also are not particularly well executed in technique and don't well repay time spent in direct examination. I also would have chosen a different color for the map endpapers, but this is a minor point.
Overall, perhaps not quite as good a value as the Stanhope, especially given that shipping in this case was as expensive as the book itself, but still a worthy addition that led me to learn something about an area I knew little about beforehand.
Abysswalker explores past releases:My criteria:
The author, a settler of Spanish descent in South America, recounts being taken captive by the Mapuche, a people who lived in what is now a part of Chile. The narrative is abridged, which I think is fine (and probably preferable) for a work like this. It was a quick read as is, but I imagine it could easily drag.
Given that this is a colonial narrative, I was prepared for inconsiderate or chauvinistic portrayal of native culture. The Spaniard displays an unsurprising attitude of cultural superiority but also an endearing curiosity about and respect for the Mapuche. I have read little serious history treating this period or geographical area, so I am poorly equipped to judge the reliability of the narrative beyond my immediate feelings. My sense is that the narrator is kept alive and treated well to begin with mostly because he was a valuable hostage, as the son of a respected Spanish military commander, but develops authentic friendship with several families of Mapuche. Most of the narrative is dedicated to maneuvering between the Mapuche, with his immediate captors trying to keep him out of the hands of more hostile factions that would likely execute the captive if given the chance. The parts that most stand out as perhaps overly gilded are when religion enters the picture, such as the enthusiastic response he recounts to teaching various elements of Catholicism to his captors.
The book is set in Poliphilus and (I assume based on the publication date and the feel of the page) printed letterpress, on Dalmore laid paper, which has a similar feel to the Stanhope I posted about before. I enjoy the texture of this paper.
The binding is quarter "skiver" leather, which from web searching seems like a process used to make softer, thinner leather by means of scraping. The leather seems to have held up rather well, and still feels nice, though in the pictures you can probably see some marks from light wear, probably a result of the softness. The simple cavalry soldier design stamped on the front board canvas is attractive.
I found the weakest element of the book to be the illustrations, which are vinyl-cuts. The illustrations fit the narrative well enough and are relatively plentiful, but also are not particularly well executed in technique and don't well repay time spent in direct examination. I also would have chosen a different color for the map endpapers, but this is a minor point.
Overall, perhaps not quite as good a value as the Stanhope, especially given that shipping in this case was as expensive as the book itself, but still a worthy addition that led me to learn something about an area I knew little about beforehand.
Abysswalker explores past releases:My criteria:
- Lack of personal familiarity
- Reasonably attractive binding
- Fine condition
- Good price
- That I would want to read
