The first part of his trilogy on the Spanish Empire, Hugh Thomas's Rivers of Gold brings the rise of Spain's global empire vividly to life, capturing the spirit of an ebullient age.

Inspired by hopes of both riches and of converting native people to Christianity, the Spanish adventurers of the fifteenth century convinced themselves that an Earthly Paradise existed in the Caribbean. This is the story of the hundreds of conquistadors who set sail on the precarious journey across the Atlantic - taking with them wheat, the horse, the guitar and the wheel as well as guns, malaria and slaves - to create an empire that made Spain the envy of the world.

'Affirms Hugh Thomas's record as one of the most productive and wide-ranging historians of modern times'
The New York Times

'Splendid ... bold and strong in its outlines, rich in fasinating details'
Paul Johnson, Literary Review

'So steeped is he in the spirit of the time, so familiar with its people and places that we almost feel he must have been there at the time'
Sunday Telegraph

'A vivid, dramatic and compelling narrative'
Arthur Schlesinger, Jr

'As a historian, Thomas is master of the big picture ... Rivers of Gold sweeps us restlessly on'
Jonathan Keates, Spectator

'An epic history of an extraordinary age'
Michael Kerrigan, Scotsman

Hugh Thomas is the author of, among other books, The Spanish Civil War (1962) which won the Somerset Maugham Award, Conquest: Montezuma, Cortes and the Fall of Old Mexico (1994), An Unfinished History of the World (1979) and The Slave Trade (1997). The second volume of his planned trilogy on the Spanish Empire, The Golden Age: The Spanish Empire of Charles V was published in 2011.

In this epic history Hugh Thomas brings Spain's rise to empire vividly to life, capturing the spirit of an ebullient age.


About the Author
Hugh Thomas is the author of, among other books, The Spanish Civil War (1962) which won the Somerset Maugham Award, Conquest: Montezuma, Cortes and the Fall of Old Mexico (1994), An Unfinished History of the World (1979) and The Slave Trade (1997). From 1966 to 1975 he was Professor of History at the University of Reading. He was Director of the Centre for Policy Studies in London from 1979 to 1991, and he became a life peer as Baron Thomas of Swynnerton in 1981.

Reviews
"As a historian, Thomas is master of the big picture ! Rivers of Gold sweeps us restlessly on" - Jonathan Keates, Spectator 'As an intelligent and incisive narrative the book would be hard to better... It is unusual to finish so long a book wishing for more' Sunday Telegraph



Book Information
ISBN 9780141034485
Author Hugh Thomas
Format Paperback
Page Count 816
Imprint Penguin Books Ltd
Publisher Penguin Books Ltd
Weight(grams) 553g
Dimensions(mm) 198mm * 129mm * 34mm