The Great Enterprise: The History of the Spanish Armada | The Folio Society 1978

© 1978 The editor has selected a number of contemporary documents to illustrate what happened w/ the Spanish Armada. In 1588 Britain stood in danger of invasion, but just how real was the Spanish threat? Was the Catholic conspiracy serious? Did the Spanish army actually embark? And was the issue ever in genuine doubt? Stephen Usherwood makes the story more vivid than ever before by telling it, stage by stage, from the English & Spanish sides, from both public & secret papers. The narrative begins in 1572 w/ Queen Elizabeth I of England & King Philip II of Spain & their differing attitudes. In the aftermath Francisco de Cuellar & his galleon the San Pedro, were survivors both of the battle in the Channel & the perilous voyage round the inhospitable coast of Scotland, foundering at last on the wild Mayo coast. This vivid narrative, put together from the bare bones of history, closes w/ his terrifying account of the wreck, & his hair-raising escape through the primitive, savage & mainly hostile territories of Ireland. It's an unforgettable vignette of the bleak horrors of war, shipwreck & privation. This book is in great vintage condition for a book that's over 40 y/o. Blue decorated cloth cover. Gold frontispiece, lovely illustrations, maps & color pictorial end papers. The pages are clean & unmarked, the binding is square & tight & there are no signs of prior ownership such as an inscription or a bookplate. The red slipcase does show rubbing wear & some storage color fading.