El Dorado: A Reader investigates the ways that El Dorado—a legend as malleable as gold itself—has alchemized from myth to reality, deconstructing the ancient tale and allowing fresh narratives to surge forth. Ranging from commissioned essays by contemporary scholars to selected historical excerpts by explorers such as Marco Polo and Christopher Columbus, as well as literary productions by Robert Louis Stevenson and Edgar Allan Poe, these texts illustrate the way the legend has morphed and transfigured, but never lost its ethos. El Dorado: A Reader continues the search for El Dorado and investigates how it has shaped the continent’s history and future. [publisher's note]