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(More customer reviews)And real full strength Catherwood illustrations.
Unlike some of the recent re-edited editions of Stevens' and Catherwood's work, this Dover Publications edition Volume One of the two volume "Incidents of Travel in Central America, Chiapas and Yucatan presents dense, complex, and revealing insights into a brilliant writer's impressions of travel in nascent Central American countries.
Regarding his charge to enter into diplomatic relations with the governments of these countries, Stephens reports, "I was not able to find one..."
In following Stephens eccentric and sometimes high-handed travels through these unsettled societies, we are by contrast in his ruminations given glimpses of the political and social climate in the United States at that time - a commercially predatory, exuberantly expansionist, segregated society. Despite the biases of his times, Stephens is always adaptable to the ways of his hosts.
Although not great in number, Catherwood's illustrations of the stelae at Copan are truly great. His revealing comments on the difficulty of adapting his Western perception enough to capture the scenes even with the help of his camera lucida - tell us just how unusual the sculptural forms were.
As a team - Stephen's enthusiasm and wry humor and Catherwood's sublime skill and dogged persistence - consistently produced great and discerning works of scientific and historical value.
It should be illegal for anyone to edit or abridge these books.
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