Buy new:
$17.00
FREE delivery Friday, May 17 on orders shipped by Amazon over $35
Ships from: Amazon.com
Sold by: Amazon.com
$17.00
Get Fast, Free Shipping with Amazon Prime FREE Returns
FREE delivery Friday, May 17 on orders shipped by Amazon over $35. Order within 10 hrs 32 mins
Only 18 left in stock (more on the way).
$$17.00 () Includes selected options. Includes initial monthly payment and selected options. Details
Price
Subtotal
$$17.00
Subtotal
Initial payment breakdown
Shipping cost, delivery date, and order total (including tax) shown at checkout.
Ships from
Amazon.com
Ships from
Amazon.com
Sold by
Amazon.com
Sold by
Amazon.com
Returns
30-day easy returns
30-day easy returns
This item can be returned in its original condition for a full refund or replacement within 30 days of receipt.
Read full return policy
Returns
30-day easy returns
This item can be returned in its original condition for a full refund or replacement within 30 days of receipt.
Read full return policy
Payment
Secure transaction
Your transaction is secure
We work hard to protect your security and privacy. Our payment security system encrypts your information during transmission. We don’t share your credit card details with third-party sellers, and we don’t sell your information to others. Learn more
Payment
Secure transaction
We work hard to protect your security and privacy. Our payment security system encrypts your information during transmission. We don’t share your credit card details with third-party sellers, and we don’t sell your information to others. Learn more
$15.27
Get Fast, Free Shipping with Amazon Prime FREE Returns
FREE delivery Friday, May 17 on orders shipped by Amazon over $35. Order within 10 hrs 32 mins
Only 1 left in stock - order soon.
$$17.00 () Includes selected options. Includes initial monthly payment and selected options. Details
Price
Subtotal
$$17.00
Subtotal
Initial payment breakdown
Shipping cost, delivery date, and order total (including tax) shown at checkout.
Access codes and supplements are not guaranteed with used items.
Kindle app logo image

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.

Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.

Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.

QR code to download the Kindle App

Follow the author

V. S. Naipaul
+ Follow
More books from this author
Something went wrong. Please try your request again later.

The Loss of El Dorado: A Colonial History Paperback – April 8, 2003

by V. S. Naipaul (Author)
4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 33 ratings
See all formats and editions
{"desktop_buybox_group_1":[{"displayPrice":"$17.00","priceAmount":17.00,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"17","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"00","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"KYdkGBxBhWJhRriWf%2BxYu94lGUQUM8grjKvo7d1EkuI9WXBU%2BVkZrZdyh6FzUl2yl6G%2Fh4COIaLNVgijjHw%2FWXa7yjSqSPVm5MmgzUB6QMf5eUJouSEujoHD0ICkJ7w7Xzyb5R8FYuE%3D","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"NEW","aapiBuyingOptionIndex":0}, {"displayPrice":"$15.27","priceAmount":15.27,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"15","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"27","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"KYdkGBxBhWJhRriWf%2BxYu94lGUQUM8groL%2FODSuRr7zKCflvMkKgATnR0pnUUdIv7NNkr2jguErKRjdpW9gTY%2F9YfElygXNiFJOuQnIUHifwc3xcRKPWIQtPMz6EpoQtuSwQlSDC9Kvs767ZdiBA%2FNjJW34PF0bLcHPMGIfAgA63VrwB6ULG7b11C6RreaAE","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"USED","aapiBuyingOptionIndex":1}]}

Purchase options and add-ons

In this masterpiece about Trinidad, the Nobel Prize-winning author has “given us a lesson in history [and] shown us how it is best written” (The New York Times).

The history of Trinidad begins with a delusion: the belief that somewhere nearby on the South American mainland lay El Dorado, the mythical kingdom of gold. In this extraordinary and often gripping book, V. S. Naipaul—himself a native of Trinidad—shows how that delusion drew a small island into the vortex of world events, making it the object of Spanish and English colonial designs and a mecca for treasure-seekers, slave-traders, and revolutionaries.

Amid massacres and poisonings, plunder and multinational intrigue, two themes emerge: the grinding down of the Aborigines during the long rivalries of the El Dorado quest and, two hundred years later, the man-made horror of slavery. An accumulation of casual, awful detail takes us as close as we can get to day-to-day life in the slave colony, where, in spite of various titles of nobility, only an opportunistic, near-lawless community exists, always fearful of slave suicide or poison, of African sorcery and revolt. Naipaul tells this labyrinthine story with assurance, withering irony, and lively sympathy. The result is historical writing at its highest level.
Read more Read less
Previous page
  1. Print length
    400 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Vintage
  4. Publication date
    April 8, 2003
  5. Dimensions
    5.16 x 0.89 x 7.88 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    1400030765
  7. ISBN-13
    978-1400030767
  8. See all details
Next page
The Amazon Book Review
The Amazon Book Review
Book recommendations, author interviews, editors' picks, and more. Read it now.

Frequently bought together

The Loss of El Dorado: A Colonial History
$17.00
Get it as soon as Friday, May 17
Only 18 left in stock (more on the way).
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
+
The Middle Passage: The Caribbean Revisited
$12.69
Get it as soon as Friday, May 17
In Stock
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
+
Among the Believers: An Islamic Journey
$17.28
Get it as soon as Friday, May 17
Only 12 left in stock - order soon.
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
Total price:
To see our price, add these items to your cart.
Details
Added to Cart
Some of these items ship sooner than the others.
Show details Hide details
Choose items to buy together.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“History as literature, meticulously researched and masterfully written.” —The New York Times Book Review

“A formidable achievement. . . . No historian has attempted to weave together in so subtle a manner the threads of the most complex and turbulent period of Caribbean history.” —The Times Literary Supplement

“Brilliant. . . . Startling.” —New Statesman

“A remarkable book. . . . Intelligent, humane, brilliantly written.” —Book World

From the Inside Flap

of Trinidad begins with a delusion: the belief that somewhere nearby on the South American mainland lay El Dorado, the mythical kingdom of gold. In this extraordinary and often gripping book, V. S. Naipaul himself a native of Trinidad shows how that delusion drew a small island into the vortex of world events, making it the object of Spanish and English colonial designs and a mecca for treasure-seekers, slave-traders, and revolutionaries.

Amid massacres and poisonings, plunder and multinational intrigue, two themes emerge: the grinding down of the Aborigines during the long rivalries of the El Dorado quest and, two hundred years later, the man-made horror of slavery. An accumulation of casual, awful detail takes us as close as we can get to day-to-day life in the slave colony, where, in spite of various titles of nobility, only an opportunistic, near-lawless community exists, always fearful of slave suicide or poison, of African sorcery and revolt. Naipaul tells this labyrinth

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Vintage (April 8, 2003)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 400 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1400030765
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1400030767
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 11.4 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.16 x 0.89 x 7.88 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 33 ratings

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
V. S. Naipaul

V. S. Naipaul

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.
Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Discover more of the author’s books, see similar authors, read author blogs and more

Customer reviews

4.2 out of 5 stars
4.2 out of 5
33 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Todd and In Charge
5.0 out of 5 stars A Bloody, Tragic, Fascinating Slice of Colonial History
Reviewed in the United States on June 23, 2009
Verified Purchase
I think it's fair to say V.S. Naipaul is one of the finer writers of our time. Here his compressed, simple sentence structure, matched with fascinating details and copious research, works nearly as well for history as it does for his works of fiction.

Turning his attention to his homeland, Trinidad, Naipaul reveals a lost history of Spanish, French and English colonialism, all fueled by the frantic, bloody search for El Dorado.

Naipaul's three-part structure makes sense and is filled with remarkable anecdotes of greed, folly, slavery, barbarity, and one or two glimpses of decency and humanity.

I had trouble putting this one down.
7 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
M. Buzalka
4.0 out of 5 stars A River Runs Into It
Reviewed in the United States on January 2, 2016
In The Loss of El Dorado (1969), V.S. Naipaul traces the history of his homeland of Trinidad from its days under the Spanish to it takeover by the British in the 18th century and the years immediately following. It is a history dominated by a succession of dominant personalities and reads best as a kind of short story cycle. The island, located at the mouth of the Orinoco River off the coast of Venezuela, was perfectly positioned as a landing stage for expeditions to the interior of South America, especially for those seeking the legendary city of gold, El Dorado. Trinidad itself, however was basically seen as a backwater in this period, a dead-end assignment for governors unfortunate enough to be assigned there by the Spanish and then English monarchies.
2 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
P. J. Keating
5.0 out of 5 stars Proof that all of our history should be written by novelists
Reviewed in the United States on December 19, 2016
Verified Purchase
This was the first book by Naipaul that I read, decades ago, and I fell in love with it. A beautiful book about a truly terrible subject. Nothing else by Naipaul quite lives up to this amazing book.
2 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Thomas B.
5.0 out of 5 stars Well done!
Reviewed in the United States on January 22, 2016
Verified Purchase
Product and delivery exactly as promised!
Helpful
 Report
Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Solid book for those interested in Trinidad History
Reviewed in the United States on January 21, 2014
V.S. Naipaul has always attracted me because he is a Trinidadian, like I am. I've read quite a few of his books, and he is undoubtedly one of the best. The Loss of El Dorado, I am pleased to say, shows off his skills.

The book is original because it dwells on Trinidadian history preceding the arrival of indentured servants from India. Specifically, Naipaul explores two events in which this small island attracted national headlines: the first recounts the frantic but fruitless quest for the mythical city of El Dorado by Ralegh, Berrio, and others; the second story relates the illegal torture of a young girl named Luisa Calderon and the accompanying scandal surrounding the culprit General Thomas Picton. Neither of these are mainstream stories. In Trinidad schools today, they are not even taught or included in textbooks. Thus, I give Naipaul credit. The research and care that went into this book's development was substantial and undoubtedly exhausting.

He says in the Foreword that this story "ends in 1813. Indians from India began to arrival in 1845; but the colony was created long before that." This quote is, essentially, the thesis of the book. Most Trinidadian historians focus on the arrival of indentured servants from India, but Naipaul here says that the colony was created before that. In Naipaul's thinking, the stories played a bigger role in the development of Trinidad than the Indians from India did. Naipaul's book is then mandatory reading for all Trinidadians interested in their history.

The story tellingly contains some depressing lines or occurrences to shape the perception of Trinidad. Antonio de Berrio pursued El Dorado with zest, but by age 75, he was insane and lonely after his failure to achieve the goal. He would die in obscurity, as the tale of El Dorado became Raleigh's. At the end of the first section, the book declares that the El Dorado propaganda had died and that consequently, "No one would look at Trinidad ... with the eye of Raleigh, Dudley, or Wyatt ever again." In other words, no one placed value on the island ever again. Indeed, later on the book relates the difficulties of trying to place a governor of Trinidad -- no one wanted the job. The final section, the Epilogue, states outright: "Port of Spain dropped out of history." As a Trinidadian, such statements made me a little sad. The country comes off as unimportant, negligible, and expendable. To overcome these depressing sentiments, just remember the Foreword, which explains the importance, relevance, and worth of these people and their deeds.

The second section, the Luisa Calderon portion, goes heavily into law. People get arrested every few pages, and trials are given utmost attention. At times, I felt like I was studying for law school, which I enjoyed! Naipaul, indeed, got the material here by investigating court records, as he says in appendix.

The writing is quality, as all of Naipaul's prose is, but know that at times he will get deeply poetical or ornate. Some passages (ie. - the one about Robinson Crusoe in the first chapters) will puzzle you and force you to think hard just to understand it. Basically, you get good writing that is also hard writing.

Overall, I recommend this book, especially for Trinidadians but also for anyone who loves good, provocative writing.
3 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Donal A. O'Neill
5.0 out of 5 stars Powerful, disturbing and unforgettable
Reviewed in the United States on December 5, 2001
This is the historical counterpart to Naipaul's "A Way in the World", even though it was written more than two decades earlier - these books should ideally be read back-to-back. It provides a history of Trinidad from the original discovery by the Spaniards until the early nineteenth century. The canvas covered is vast - the early Spanish attempts at colonisation, Raleigh's poorly-organised and squalid search for an El Dorado on the Orinoco, the arrival of French refugees escaping from the slave-uprisings on Haiti and the establishment of British control, with a leading but hardly-creditable role being played by Sir Thomas Picton, later a hero of the Peninsula and Waterloo, and the use of the island as a springboard for fomenting revolution in Latin America. It is from beginning to end a ghastly story, dominated by greed, cowardice and cruelty. There is hardly a single character who emerges with credit and at times the reader is all but overwhelmed by the catalogue of mean-minded exploitation, atrocities and treachery. As always in his non-fiction writing, Naipaul uses a novelist's eye to bring colour and life to the narrative - adding not just to the immediacy but also to the horror of much of the material. This work goes beyond historical narrative however and presents simultaneously an extended meditation on the nature of power at its most basic level. It is a terrible and disturbing work - but a great one.
14 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
D. Haight
2.0 out of 5 stars Two Stars
Reviewed in the United States on May 25, 2016
Verified Purchase
Not up to Naipaul's standard.
Helpful
 Report
Richard R. Weidner
1.0 out of 5 stars One Star
Reviewed in the United States on June 11, 2016
Verified Purchase
Surprisingly bad book, boring,
Helpful
 Report