1947 "This is a special edition published exclusively for the members of the Peoples Book Club..." stated on copyright page; Peoples Books Club publishers, Chicago; hardbound; very good condition with unmarked pages; dust jacket very good also.
 
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Here, in colorful and dramatic terms, is a story that must have been many times repeated as the conquistadores set their seal upon the new world. This is in particular the story of Orellano, discoverer of the Amazon. An ambitious and gifted Spaniard, eager to win a governorship and wealth in Peru, Orellano suffered incredible deprivations and losses to bring a handful of wasted, ragged men to a promised meeting with Pizarro, one of the famous brothers. Pizarro gave him recognition and honeyed words; he appointed him commander and when he himself met failure, he turned on Orellano and sought his life. The main body of the story traces the adventures on river and in the jungle, the discovery of the Amazon, the return to Spain to seek the wherewithal to return and colonize. It is an enthralling story for those who like picaresque adventure; it is based on scholarship and a tremendous zest for his material evident in the richness of his background.