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The Quest for El Dorado

  • Author David Gibbins
  • Publisher Bloomsbury Publishing
  • Publish Date 21 May 2026
  • Run Time 10 hours
  • Format Audio
  • Genre History.
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What to expect

'Engaging, engrossing and thoroughly enjoyable' MATTHEW RESTALL, author of When Montezuma Met Cortés

A new history of one of the greatest feats of exploration – Walter Ralegh’s search for El Dorado, the legendary City of Gold.

In 1594, English adventurer Sir Walter Ralegh heard the story of a lost city in South America from a Spanish conquistador. Setting out from Plymouth in February 1595, Ralegh reached the mouth of the Orinoco River and travelled over 400 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 favour 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 Ralegh 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 Ralegh’s famous voyages.

Critics Review

If you didn't think it was possible to recount with fresh prose and insights the voyages of Walter Ralegh, think again. Like Sir Walter himself, David Gibbins deftly navigates a route between fact and fantasy, romance and reality. The result is engaging, engrossing, and thoroughly enjoyable
MATTHEW RESTALL, author of When Montezuma Met Cortés

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