The Quest for El Dorado

Sir Walter Raleigh and the Search for the City of Gold

David Gibbins

A new history of the Renaissance’s greatest feat of exploration: Sir Walter Raleigh's search for the legendary city of El Dorado, by New York Times bestselling author David Gibbins.

In 1594, English adventurer Sir Walter Raleigh heard the story of a lost city in South America from a Spanish conquistador. Setting out from Plymouth in February 1595, Raleigh reached the mouth of the Orinoco River and traveled over four hundred miles inland to find it. Along the way, he captured galleons full of treasure, fought the Spanish, and befriended the indigenous peoples.

Hoping to win favor with Queen Elizabeth I, he was convinced that a "gold-rich empire more lucrative than Peru” lay just beyond reach. He vowed to return once more, so he could finally earn fame and fortune. The book that he wrote about his voyage, Discoverie, reveals the worldview of Europeans on the cusp of the modern era and the enormous drive that the search for unimaginable riches gave men such as Raleigh during the Age of Exploration. But, after he was imprisoned by James I, with a death sentence hanging over him, his hopes were put on hold for years until he was finally granted a second chance to try again.

The Quest for El Dorado is a compelling new narrative of one of the most enduring myths in history. Based on contemporary sources and his own researches as a maritime archaeologist, David Gibbins tells a story of exploration and plunder, shedding new light on Raleigh's famous voyages.

David Gibbins is the bestselling author of A History of the World in Twelve Shipwrecks as well as thirteen archaeological and historical novels. His books have sold more than three million copies and are published in thirty languages. After taking a PhD from Cambridge University, he taught archaeology in Britain and abroad, and is a leading authority on shipwrecks and maritime archaeology. He has led numerous expeditions to investigate underwater sites around the world. David divides his time between his fieldwork and his homes in England and Canada.

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Endorsements & Reviews

Praise for David Gibbin’s A History of the World in Twelve Shipwrecks:

An Economist Best Book of the Year

“An imaginative and engrossing trip through three millennia, and a book that fully lives up to its bold title.” The Wall Street Journal

“Vivid. This approach to the past suits the present perfectly.” The Economist

"Entertaining and knowledgeable. A well-informed and dynamic narrator, Gibbins glides breezily between stories of his scuba dives and quotes from medieval Chinese poetry. History buffs will find this smooth sailing.” Publishers Weekly

"A real-life Indiana Jones takes readers on a dive through these underwater museums, revealing the sunken secrets of the past. Prepare to be flabbergasted by the treasures Gibbins uncovers and by the stories they represent.” The Times (London)

“Enlightening. Gibbins combines historical knowledge with a sense of adventure, making this book a highly enjoyable package.” Kirkus Reviews

"Gibbins’s remarkable research will grant both maritime and general historians a deeper perspective on how our world developed.” Booklist

"Fascinating … [Gibbins] offers wonderful material, well researched and placed in its wider context, illuminating the history of trade and warfare from unaccustomed angles.” The Spectator

"[Gibbins] gives a history of the world in a sea-salted way that has never been done before. A bravura work, insightfully woven, grippingly told and beautifully illustrated.” Mensun Bound, bestselling author of The Ship Beneath the Ice

"Excellent, endlessly interesting. Richly detailed, often spellbinding narratives. Mesmerizing. Beautifully written.” - The Irish Independent

“This book will be treasured by all who are hooked on the mystique of loss, the romance of discovery and the sense that shipwrecks give of having captured a moment in time.” Sir Tim Smit, cofounder of The Eden Project

“David Gibbins’s deep dive into maritime archaeology is masterful and entrancing - this is big history at its best. Absolutely fascinating, beautifully written and impeccably researched.” Professor Alice Roberts, television broadcaster and bestselling author of Ancestors