Rare Book Monthly

Book Catalogue Reviews - May - 2010 Issue

Latin American Books and Manuscripts from Libreria de Antano

Latin American and Spanish books from Libreria de Antano.

Latin American and Spanish books from Libreria de Antano.

Libreria de Antano of Buenos Aires has issued a new catalogue of Fine Books & Manuscripts from Latin America & Spain 1552-1776. Much of this material is very old, relating to the period when Spain (or Portugal) ruled South and Central America, as well as a portion of North America. Many of the items are decrees from the Spanish King, instructing his subjects in the New World on how to behave. There are also many books relating to the Church and the Jesuits, whose powers rivaled civil authorities. Finally, as Spain loses control of her colonies after the Napoleonic era, we find works relating to revolution and independence. The most recent items, those from the 20th century, are mostly works from writers and poets. Here, now, are just a few of the items being offered.

The Encyclopedie is one of the greatest creations of enlightenment thought. Produced by the French philosopher Denis Diderot between 1751-1772, it was a compendium of knowledge in the sciences, philosophy, and arts. It presented science from a scientific standpoint, perhaps obvious today but not in a time when Church leaders considered themselves the ultimate authority. It also promoted more democratic institutions and tolerance of varied beliefs. Such thoughts were not very popular with the Church or state. Item 44 is Nos Don Manuel Quintano Bonifaz...Inquisidor General, published in 1760. Quintano Bonifaz had the intimidating title of Inquisitor General for all the Spanish kingdoms, and in this order, he prohibits the distribution of the Encyclopedie throughout the Kingdom, and demands the confiscation of any copies found. The order is not surprising as Pope Clement XIII had placed Diderot's Encyclopedia on the Index, a list of books prohibited by the Church. This is a rare copy of the Inquisitor's order published in Mexico. Priced at $3,200.

Item 9 is a first edition of the Historia General del Peru, published in 1617. Author Garcilaso de la Vega was the son of a Spanish Conquistador and an Inca princess. His dual background provided contacts with the sources needed to compile this history, one of three such books he wrote. This volume covers the discovery of Peru by the Spanish, its conquest, and the following civil wars and rebellions. $22,500.

Rare Book Monthly

  • Forum Auctions
    Fine Books, Manuscripts and Works on Paper
    17th July 2025
    Forum, July 17: Lucianus Samosatensis. Dialogoi, editio princeps, second issue, Florence, Laurentius Francisci de Alopa, 1496. £10,000 to £15,000.
    Forum, July 17: Boccaccio (Giovanni). Il Decamerone, Florence, Philippo di Giunta, 1516. £10,000 to £15,000.
    Forum, July 17: Henry VII (King) & Philip the Fair (Duke of Burgundy). [Intercursus Magnus], [Commercial and Political Treaty between Henry VII and Philip Duke of Burgundy], manuscript copy in Latin, original vellum, 1499. £8,000 to £12,000.
    Forum, July 17: Bible, English. The Holy Bible, Conteyning the Old Testament, and the New, Robert Barker, 1613. £4,000 to £6,000.
    Forum, July 17: Bond (Michael). A Bear Called Paddington, first edition, signed presentation inscription from the author, 1958. £4,000 to £6,000.
    Forum Auctions
    Fine Books, Manuscripts and Works on Paper
    17th July 2025
    Forum, July 17: Yeats (William Butler). The Secret Rose, first edition, with extensive autograph corrections, additions and amendments by the author for a new edition, 1897. £6,000 to £8,000.
    Forum, July 17: Byron (George Gordon Noel, Lord). Childe Harold's Pilgrimage, bound in dark green morocco elaborately tooled in gilt and with 3 watercolours to fore-edge, by Fazakerley of Liverpool, 1841. £4,000 to £6,000.
    Forum, July 17: Miró (Juan), Wassily Kandinsky, John Buckland-Wright, Stanley William Hayter and others.- Spender (Stephen). Fraternity, one of 101 copies, with signed engravings by 9 artists. £6,000 to £8,000.
    Forum, July 17: Sowerby (George Brettingham). Album comprising 22 leaves of original watercolour drawings of fossil remains of Cheltenham and Vicinity, [c.1840]. £6,000 to £8,000.
    Forum, July 17: Mathematics.- Blue paper copy.- Euclid. De gli Elementi, Urbino, Appresso Domenico Frisolino, 1575. £12,000 to £18,000.
  • Sotheby’s
    Geek Week
    2-17 July | New York
    Sotheby’s, July 15: Buzz Aldrin's FLOWN Apollo 11 Crew-Signed NASA Manned Spacecraft Center Cover. $15,000 to $20,000.
    Sotheby’s, July 15: Lunar Surface Flown Mission Emblem Presented to Tom Stafford by John Young. $8,000 to $12,000.
    Sotheby’s, July 17: Albert Einstein. Typed Letter Signed ("A. Einstein."), to Ann Morrisett, Affirming a Pacifist's Right to Self-Defense, March 21, 1952. $10,000 to $15,000.
    Sotheby’s
    Geek Week
    2-17 July | New York
    Sotheby’s, July 17: Operating and Maintenance Manual for the BINAC Binary Automatic Computer Built for Northrop Aircraft Corporation. Philadelphia, 1949. $30,000 to $50,000.
    Sotheby’s, July 17: Steve Jobs Apple Computer Business Card, c. 1977. $5,000 to $8,000.
    Sotheby’s, July 15: Extensive Chronology of Spacecraft From Apollo to Skylab, Signed by a Member of Every Crewed Apollo Flight and the Commanders of Each Skylab Mission. $5,000 to $8,000.
  • Rare Book Hub is now mobile-friendly!

Review Search

Archived Reviews