CITIES OF GOLD: A Journey Across the...
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CITIES OF GOLD: A Journey Across the American Southwest in Coronado’s Footsteps by Douglas Preston (Touchstone: $14; 480 pp.). In 1540-41, Francisco Vasquez de Coronado wandered through what is now Arizona and New Mexico in search of the fabulous Seven Cities of Cibola. Four and half centuries later, Douglas Preston attempted to retrace his route on horseback, a trek he was ill-prepared to attempt. He knew little about horses or desert survival techniques; a mixture of fool luck and the proverbial kindness of strangers saved his life more than once. His personal anecdotes and historical accounts drawn from the Spanish explorers’ journals are extremely readable, but when Preston delves into contemporary politics, his style loses its zip and a facile PC stance creeps in.
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