Edward Gaylord Bourne was a master of the art of historical criticism. He brought to his works great erudition and a talent for synthesis that enabled him to compress into a few pages the elements of a vast and complicated historical problem. The period in which he wrote saw the flowering of American scientific history. Bourne's essays, articles, reviews, introductions, and books are characterized by a strong emphasis on objectivity and the critical use of sources. Additionally, he demonstrated a clear and simple style which was ideal for his principal opus, Spain in America 1450-1580, written for the general reader.

Edward Gaylord Bourne was born in Strykersville, Wyoming County, New York, the son of the Reverend James Russell Bourne, a Congregational pastor, and Isabella Graham Staples Bourne. Both parents traced their ancestors back to the colonial period, Mrs. Bourne to Mayflower stock. Bourne's early life was spent mainly...