Cities of Gold - by Douglas Preston (Paperback)

About the Book

A modern horseback journey across 1,000 miles of desert and wilderness following the trail of the first European explorer in the American Southwest.

Book Synopsis

This riveting true story recounts the author's journey on horseback across Arizona and New Mexico, retracing Coronado's desperate search for the legendary Seven Cities of Gold. First published in 1992 and now available only from UNM Press, this classic adventure tale reveals the Southwest as it was when Europeans first saw it and shows how much, and how little, it has changed. "The great myth of the American West," Preston writes, "is that there was a winning of it."

Review Quotes

aA vivid, often witty, account of riding through some of the most difficult terrain in the Southwest, and of some of the people, including Indians, who still live there. . . . the entire book is sheer pleasure to read.a

aThe Old Westas last glimmers flicker through this piercingly beautiful adventure, an unforgettable saga in which Preston, astride his horse Popeye, traverses the desert and mountain wilderness of Arizona and New Mexico, retracing the trailblazing 1540-1541 expedition of Spanish explorer Francisco Vasquez de Coronado. . . . In place of the mythical winning of the West, Preston unfolds a harrowing tale of loss.a

A vivid, often witty, account of riding through some of the most difficult terrain in the Southwest, and of some of the people, including Indians, who still live there. . . . the entire book is sheer pleasure to read.

The Old Wests last glimmers flicker through this piercingly beautiful adventure, an unforgettable saga in which Preston, astride his horse Popeye, traverses the desert and mountain wilderness of Arizona and New Mexico, retracing the trailblazing 1540-1541 expedition of Spanish explorer Francisco Vasquez de Coronado. . . . In place of the mythical winning of the West, Preston unfolds a harrowing tale of loss.

"The Old West's last glimmers flicker through this piercingly beautiful adventure, an unforgettable saga in which Preston, astride his horse Popeye, traverses the desert and mountain wilderness of Arizona and New Mexico, retracing the trailblazing 1540-1541 expedition of Spanish explorer Francisco Vasquez de Coronado. . . . In place of the mythical winning of the West, Preston unfolds a harrowing tale of loss."