The American Continent and Its Inhabitants Before Columbus... Also, the story of its invasion by Spain, France & England.

The American Continent and Its Inhabitants Before Columbus... Also, the story of its invasion by Spain, France & England.

Annie Cole Cady (1850-1911) began work on her expansive text, The American Continent and Its Inhabitants Before Columbus, during the Cady family’s time living in Germantown, PA, and Philadelphia, PA, in the 1880s and early 1890s. It is likely she utilized the public libraries of Philadelphia for her extensive study. According to Warren historian and Cady family acquaintance, Lydia Rogers, Cole Cady also corresponded with the Royal Library in Spain for some of her research on the indigenous peoples of the Americas. The work covers the evolution of various territories throughout North, Central, and South America, with a focus on the land and its people, in particular their culture and advancements. The book appeared in three formats: as a single text, a two-volume work, and in a serialized edition of 30. Cover states: "A Unique History Communicated by Robin Goodfellow, F.H., and Written by Annie Cole Cady."

The book includes the bold subtitle ...Also the Story of Its Invasion by Spain, France, and England. While this word choice and focus may appear progressive, and perhaps were in the 19^th century, Annie Cole Cady was still subject to the biases of her time which fetishized and othered Native Americans. This can be seen in her choice of narrator. The style is reminiscent of a fairytale, and Annie frames the text as “a unique history communicated by Robin Goodfellow, fairy historian, and written by Annie Cole Cady.” In English folklore, Robin Goodfellow is another name for Puck, a mischievous character often telling tall tales and trying to make friends. Robin Goodfellow is a character in the book who narrates the ethnographic story to two children and their travel companions as they all journey through the different regions of each continent, from the age of the dinosaurs to the indigenous settlements and advanced cities of the Americas at the time of European invasion. By choosing to narrate the text in this way, calling it a "unique" history, and by placing early indigenous cultures on a timeline with dinosaurs, Cole Cady mythologizes the real history of these indigenous groups. Like most of Mrs. Cady’s other books, The American Continent and Its Inhabitants Before Columbus is geared towards a juvenile audience.

Henry Newell Cady (1849-1935), Annie Cole Cady's husband, is responsible for nearly all of the accompanying illustrations in the book, including all those featured here. The illustrations are highly detailed and attempt to resist the negative stereotypes prevalent in many representations of indigenous culture at the time.

Annie Cole Cady (1850-1911)

Philadelphia, Pa.: Gebbie & Co.

1893

Henry Newell Cady (1849-1935), illustrator

Vol. 1: Illustrated with 15 photogravure steel plates, 18 colored lithographic plates, and numerous other illustrations by Henry N. Cady and others.
Vol. 2: Illustrated with 15 photogravure steel plates, 12 colored lithographic plates, and numerous other illustrations by Henry N. Cady and others.

English

Text