Discovering America's Southeast A Sixteenth Century View Based on the Mannerist Engravings of Theodore De Bry

Much of what the Old World knew of the New World was conveyed through the engravings produced by Theodore de Bry. Appearing approximately one hundred years after the period of Columbus, these engravings provided vivid images of the mystery, adventure, & wealth which were readily available in the New World. With the advantage of several centuries of study, the fact that we now know many of the engravings were inaccurate, exaggerated, or just plain false in no way lessens the impact which these powerful images made on sixteenth century Europe. By the late 1580's numerous images of the New World had been produced, of which approximately 268 are extant. Seeing the need to preserve those images, & the business opportunity of selling them, de Bry embarked on the massive task. His work, GRANDS VOYAGES, would be published in fourteen parts. From the AMERICA series Gloria Deak has selected fifty prints which provided the first impressions of what is now the United States. Her study includes an explanation of the times in which the drawings were produced, as well as an examination of the individual plates & of the engraver who gave them life. To order contact: Birmingham Public Library Press, P.O. Box 370023, Birmingham, AL 35237-0023. Phone (205) 226-3611.Deak, Gloria is the author of 'Discovering America's Southeast A Sixteenth Century View Based on the Mannerist Engravings of Theodore De Bry' with ISBN 9780942301205 and ISBN 094230120X.