Edward P Von der Porten

The book is independently published and, apparently, published after the death of its two main authors. As such, it is in dire need of copyeditors, layout specialists, editors, and everything a real book publisher would do. Lots of typos, odd formatting, etc. That said, the information, though choppily presented, is all there and all good. They lay out their case that the so-called "Drake's plate of brasse," the plate of brass Drake put up in 1579 to claim California for England as Nova Albion, which was supposedly discovered in 1936 and announced to the world as legitimate by famed historian Herbert E. Bolton was, spoiler alert, a forgery. It was a joke by a group of pranksters that got out of hand. Without any confessions by the pranksters extant, we get a pretty good case and a pretty good list of the hoaxters. They do think the plate supposedly found by a chauffer in 1933 and dumped near the 1936 find site, though, was NOT the same plate of brass found in 1936. Which makes one wonder what it was? Another hoax? Or the real deal? But, they do not say.… (más)