Both volumes of John Lloyd Stephens epic accounts of the Yucatan are united in this single volume, complete with over 100 illustrations of encounters on his journeys in Central America. Prior to the 1840s, when J. L. Stephens published this superb account of his explorations, the Yucatan was only crudely charted by Western explorers. Yet their descriptions of the odd ruins and beautiful landscape intrigued the young John Lloyd Stephens, who spent years yearning to explore and better chart the faraway lands. After a number of years spent traversing Europe and Egypt, Stephens was in 1839 commissioned as a Special Ambassador to the Central Americas. Accompanied by his friend, the architect and draughtsman Frederick Catherwood, Stephens set off for the wilderness of the Yucatan, landing in what is today Belize. It wasn't long before the pair encountered the first Mayan ruins: the city of Copan. Captivated by the unique architecture and distinctive cultural remnants, the two pressed further inland.
Stephens' two expeditions to Mexico and Central America in 1839 and 1841 yielded the first solid information on the culture of the Maya Indians. The books in this two-volume set relate his archeological discoveries and exploration of ruined cities, monuments, and temples with penetrating and exciting narrative. Remarkably realistic illustrations by Frederick Catherwood double the appeal of the books.
In 1839, John Lloyd Stephens was appointed by the president to be Special Ambassador to Central America. While his political mission was doomed from the start due to an expansive civil war, his rediscovery of ancient civilizations would captivate the world towards the previously overlooked Mayan culture.
The American writer and diplomat John Lloyd Stephens (1805-52) was effectively the founder of Mesoamerican archaeology, through his rediscovery of the Mayan civilization (his two-volume Incidents of Travel in Central America, Chiapas, and Yucatan is also reissued in this series). But before that, having qualified and practised as a lawyer in New York, he went on a two-year journey through Egypt and the Near East, publishing an account of his experiences in 1837 (under the name of George Stephens): this reissue is of the expanded 1838 edition. The work was extremely popular, possibly because, as he states in the preface, Stephens writes 'without perplexing himself with any deep speculations upon the rise and fall of empires', nor does he give much archaeological detail. Volume 1 begins with Stephens' arrival at Alexandria in Egypt, and his journey down the Nile to the Cataracts; it ends with a visit to St Catherine's monastery in Sinai.
Edgar Allan Poe called it perhaps the most interesting travel book ever published. Here, complete in one volume, is the classic real-life adventureoriginally published across two volumes in 1841that mesmerized readers with its evocative descriptions of journeys in Mesoamerica. With a wandering spirit mellowed by an analytic eye, American diplomat and writer JOHN LLOYD STEPHENS (18051852) introduced Westerners to the mysteries of the Yucatan in this contemporary bestseller, riveting armchair explorers with his lyrical account of visits to 44 Maya sites, including the then-unknown Chichen Itza and Uxmal. Complete with all the beautiful original illustrations by English artist and architect FREDERICK CATHERWOOD (17991854), this is essential reading for those fascinated by Mesoamerican culture as well as those under the thrall of an itch to see the world.
Perhaps the first modern travelogues still to capture the imaginations of armchair explorers, the mid-19th-century bestselling books of American diplomat and writer JOHN LLOYD STEPHENS (1805-1852) reads like the most inspired of novels. The poetic immediacy places the reader square in the saddle of adventure. In this classic 1837 work-which a critic like Edgar Allan Poe praised for its "freshness of manner evincing manliness of feeling"-Stephens takes the reader on an evocative journey through the Middle East, from a visit to the pyramids of Egypt to encounters with enthusiastic locals and much more. Complete with all the beautiful original illustrations by English artist and architect Frederick Catherwood (1799-1854), this delightful book continues to enthrall adventurous spirits today. JOHN LLOYD STEPHENS (1805-1852) was an important part of the reintroduction of Mayan Civilization to middle America. He was an explorer, diplomat, and writer, who specialized in Mesoamerican studies. He incorporated the Ocean Steam Navigation Company at a time when the British controlled travel to and from the United States. In 1849 he was appointed the Vice President of the Panama Railroad Company, later becoming the president. He supervised the project until his death from a liver disease at age 46.
The American writer and diplomat John Lloyd Stephens (1805-52) was effectively the founder of Mesoamerican archaeology, through his rediscovery of the Mayan civilization (his two-volume Incidents of Travel in Central America, Chiapas, and Yucatan is also reissued in this series). But before that, having qualified and practised as a lawyer in New York, he went on a two-year journey through Egypt and the Near East, publishing an account of his experiences in 1837 (under the name of George Stephens): this reissue is of the expanded 1838 edition. The work was extremely popular, possibly because, as he states in the preface, Stephens writes 'without perplexing himself with any deep speculations upon the rise and fall of empires', nor does he give much archaeological detail. Volume 2 sees Stephens heading towards Aqaba, whence he moves northward, visiting Petra, Gaza, Hebron, Jerusalem and the Dead Sea before returning to the coast at Tyre and sailing back to Alexandria.
His wandering spirit mellowing his analytic eye, John L. Stephens is the best kind of guide. Whether describing the richness of a seraglio in Turkey or the drama of a gambling hall in Russia, the congenial and charismatic style of his narrative-with its hearty doses of humor-is warming, while the enthusiastic accounts of treks, discoveries, and friends made utterly engages. Add to this Stephens' conscientious inclusion of historical, sociopolitical, anthropological, and sometimes mythological, context, and Incidents of Travel in Greece, Turkey, Russia, and Poland becomes the next best thing to being there. American traveler, diplomat, and author JOHN LLOYD STEPHENS (1805-1852) topped off an academic youth by exploring the world, eventually distinguishing himself in such endeavors as playing a primary role in the building of the Panama Railroad, and producing the era's preeminent record of Mesoamerican culture in his work Incidents of Travel in Central America, Chiapas and Yucatan.
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