The first complete English translation of the complete eight books of Peter Martyr d'Anghiera's 'De orbe novo' "decades", one of the earliest, and important accounts of the history of the discovery, and conquest, of the New World, from Columbus to Cortes.

Fragments of the "Decades" had been published since 1504 (Venice), but were not published in full until December 1530 (Alcala de Henares, by Miguel de Eguia). Richard Eden (c.1520-1576) translated the first three "Decades" into English, published by William Powell as 'The Decades of the newe worlde or West India, Conteyning the nauigations and conquestes of the Spanyardes', in 1555. That text was revised, most likely by Eden himself, and published by Richard Willes as 'The History of Travayle in the West and East Indies, and other countreys...', in 1577, after Eden's death. That edition included full translations of the first four decades, and abridgements of the fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth.

Michael Lok (c.1532-1620), after many years of merchant adventuring, and being imprisoned for related debts, translated the fourth to eighth "Decades", as here, "by the Industrie, and painefull Travaile", entered at Stationers’ Hall for copyright on the 9th April, 1612.

Peter Martyr, "the first historian of America, was born at Arona, in Italy, about 1455, and died at Grenada, in Spain, in 1526. He possessed eminent ability and learning, and is believed to have been the first writer to notice in his works the discovery of America by his countryman Columbus, as he is the first who published a treatise descriptive of the peculiarities of the natives of the New World. In 1483 he went to Rome where he became acquainted with Cardinal Ascanio Sforza and Pomponius Laetus, to both of whom many of his letters were addressed. He was extremely fond of letter-writing, and, having a wide circle of correspondents, it was no doubt owing to him that the news of Columbus's discovery, which he probably received from the discoverer himself, became speedily known to a number of notable people outside of Spain. In 1494 he was ordained priest and appointed as tutor to the children of Ferdinand and Isabella. Seven years later he was sent on a diplomatic mission to Egypt, an account of which he has given us in his Legatio babylonica. He was the friend and contemporary of Columbus, Vasco de Gama, Cortés, Magellan, Cabot, and Vespuccius. From personal contact with these discoverers, as well as from his official position as a member of the Council for the Indies, which afforded him the free inspection of documents of undoubted authenticity, he was enabled to obtain, at first hand, much valuable information regarding the discoveries made by the early navigators. These facts he embodied in his "Decade", which were based upon his extensive correspondence, but were written with more care and give more ample details. His works were held in the highest esteem by his contemporaries and have always been placed in the highest rank of authorities on the history of the first association of the Indians with the Europeans, and are indispensable as a primary source for the history of early American discoveries" (Church).

The initial blank [A1] is often lacking, the last example to appear in available records with the blank was Sothebys 1987.