In 1975, the Limited Editions Club published a significant historical work that illuminates the early colonial history of the Caribbean: The Conquest and Settlement of the Island of Boriquen or Puerto Rico . This volume presents selections from the monumental Historia general y natural de las Indias by Gonzalo Fernández de Oviedo y Valdés, one of the most important chroniclers of the Spanish Empire during the sixteenth century. The text, drawn from specific chapters of Oviedo’s comprehensive history, was translated and edited by scholar Daymond Turner, making this essential primary source accessible to English-speaking readers for the first time.
The edition brings to life Oviedo’s detailed account of the Spanish encounter with Puerto Rico, then known by its Taíno name of Boriquen. His narrative paints a vivid picture of the struggles, triumphs, and tragedies that accompanied European expansion into the New World, offering invaluable insights into the dynamics of colonial conquest, the fate of the indigenous Taíno people, and the broader implications of imperialism. The text provides readers with an intimate glimpse into the early days of exploration in the region, documenting both the motivations of the conquistadors and their complex interactions with the native population.
What distinguishes this Limited Editions Club production is its remarkable visual presentation. The book is illustrated with drawings by the renowned artists Jack and Irene Delano, who contributed eight full-page color silk-screened serigraphs and approximately thirty line drawings printed in gray throughout the text . Irene Delano also designed the volume itself. Printed at the Stinehour Press in a limited edition of two thousand copies, this quarto-sized volume features a parchment-backed, gilt-decorated orange cloth binding with top edge red, housed in a publisher’s slipcase . Each copy is signed by both illustrators on the colophon, making this edition a treasured artifact for collectors and historians alike.
