Mitchell-Hedges, F. A. [Frederick Albert, 1882-1959]

Land of Wonder and Fear [British Honduras - Central America]

New York: The Century Company, 1931. First Edition, First Printing. Cloth Hardcover.

Green cloth with gold titles and blind-stamped decoration; The bindings are tight and square. Text clean, light even toning. Moderate shelf handling wear, the spine titles have faded and the cloth has a few spots. 8vo; 9 inches tall; 265 pages with 60 photo illustrations.

Good / No Dust Jacket. Item #17258

Land of Wonder and Fear is a captivating adventure tale set primarily in British Honduras, which is present-day Belize. The narrative follows Mitchell Hedges and Lady Brown as they embark on a journey through Spanish Honduras, Guatemala, Nicaragua, and Panama during the 1920s.

Their adventure is rich with discoveries of forgotten cities and encounters with isolated indigenous communities. They also face various perils, including encounters with deadly creatures like scorpions and snakes, confrontations with armed bandits and revolutions, and the terrifying forces of earthquakes, volcanoes, and hurricanes.

Frederick Albert Mitchell-Hedges, an English adventurer, traveler, and writer, is often cited as a potential inspiration for the iconic character Indiana Jones. However, it's important to note that both George Lucas and Steven Spielberg, have never explicitly confirmed any specific individual as the direct muse for their character.

Throughout his numerous expeditions, Mitchell-Hedges frequently asserted that he had ‘unearthed’ Indigenous tribes and ‘forgotten cities,’ despite historical records often documenting these discoveries years, and in some cases, centuries prior. Additionally, he claimed to have located "the cradle of civilization" within the Mosquito Coast of Nicaragua and asserted that the Bay Islands of Honduras were remnants of the lost Atlantis civilization.

Mitchell-Hedges is perhaps most renowned for his association with the Mitchell-Hedges crystal skull, purportedly found alongside his adopted daughter Anna Mitchell-Hedges in Lubaantun, British Honduras (now Belize) in 1924. However, archival evidence indicates that the elder Mitchell-Hedges acquired the skull at a Sotheby's auction in 1943, casting doubt on the authenticity of this and other alleged discoveries attributed to him.

Price: $125.00