Argonaut?
Over the years many people entering the
bookshop have asked what the word "Argonaut" means? Most people relate the word
to Greek mythology: the band of heroes sailing with Jason in quest of the Golden Fleece.
Basic Definition:
An adventurer engaged in a quest, usually by sea.
Latin and
Greek Roots:
The word, "Argonaut" comes from the
Latin and Greek, Argonautes. This word is broken down into Argo (the
ship in which Jason's Argonauts sailed), and nautes (a sailor). Thus, Jason's
sailors were adventurers engaged in the quest for the Golden Fleece. We can also consider
the words "Astronaut" and "Aeronaut." Their definitions should now be
obvious.
California
Connection:
The Argonaut Book Shop specializes in the
history of California and the West. An Argonaut was the name given during the California
gold rush to pioneer adventurers sailing around the Horn to California in their quest for
gold.
The name was also given to
pioneers traveling overland in their "Prairie Schooners" to the California gold
fields. Prairie schooner was the name applied to a covered wagon used to cross the plains
because from a distance it looked rather like a ship at sea.
The hardships of the pioneers
traveling to California by land or sea in their quest for gold were thus popularly related
to those of the mythological heroes who recovered the Golden Fleece.
You can
be an Argonaut. Visit the Argonaut Book Shop on your quest for desirable books, maps,
prints, and manuscripts. It will be a wonderful adventure!
Search
Portions of Our Inventory