The Loss of El Dorado

Published in 1969, The Loss of El Dorado is a history book by V. S. Naipaul that explores the Spanish-British colonial rivalry in the Orinoco Basin and the obsessive European quest for gold, particularly through the voyages of Sir Walter Raleigh.

The book then shifts focus to Trinidad under British rule, detailing the development of its plantation economy and significant events such as the trial of Sir Thomas Picton.

Naipaul draws on primary sources in Spanish and English and combines historical narrative with psychological insight.

The work has been critically acclaimed and partially reworked by Naipaul in his later book A Way in the World.