New Acquisitions from Argentine Bookseller Libreria de Antano
Recent acquisitions at Libreria de Antano.
By Michael Stillman
We recently received a new catalogue from Libreria de Antano entitled A Short Title List of Recent Acquisitions. It is perhaps not the newest of new, since it is dated February 2006. However, you have to understand that we are located in the United States, and Libreria de Antano is situated in Argentina. Sometimes the mail can be slow.
Naturally, there is a focus on Latin American works in the Libreria's catalogues. However, some titles in here are European, a few with no discernable connection to the Americas. Therefore, those who collect outside of the confines of Latin America may wish to check out the material they are offering. Some items may be a surprise. Here is some of what we found in this catalogue.
Item 21 is a rare first edition of Antonio de Solis' Historia de la conquista de Mexico...published in 1684. De Solis was a Spanish playwright, who abandoned this somewhat disreputable field (by 17th century standards) to embark on a career as a historian and government official. His history of the conquest of Mexico is considered an outstanding work of prose, but perhaps not the most even-handed of histories. De Solis saw conquistador Hernan Cortes as something of a reincarnation of Alexander the Great. Those who were brutally conquered by him probably saw him in a different light. Nonetheless, de Solis has provided us with an important work on the era when Mexico was conquered by Spain. Priced at $8,000.
The Spanish would rule Mexico for almost two centuries, but in time, the locals became tired of their control. One of the earliest attempts to throw off Spanish rule was led by Padre Miguel Hidalgo in 1810. As unrest began to build, a committee was formed which convinced Father Hidalgo to lead their movement. The Padre responded affirmatively, and on September 16, 1810, rang his church bells to announce his call for Mexican independence. This day is still celebrated as the anniversary of the country's Declaration of Independence. The local bishop excommunicated Father Hidalgo for his actions, but that did not stop him from leading his recruits, mainly poor Indians and villagers, to some early victories. At one point they came close to reaching Mexico City. However, the Spanish and their allies were able to beat back the rebels, and by the following year, the retreating Hidalgo had been captured and executed. It bought the Spanish a little time, but in another decade, Mexico would succeed in gaining its independence. Those who fought in Hidalgo's insurrection are memorialized in item 23, Oracion funebre que en las solemnes honras de los militaries que han muerto en la insurreccionde Hidalgo... published in 1811. $400.
For those who speak English, and are looking for a contemporary description of the Mexican revolution that would take place a decade later, item 27 is Notes on Mexico made in the autumn of 1822 accompanied by an historical sketch of the revolution and translations of official reports on the present state of that country. This work, edited by Carey and Lea, was published in Philadelphia in 1824, as the results of that revolution were still evolving. $900.
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New Acquisitions from Argentine Bookseller Libreria de Antano
The 1947 issue of Time Magazine featured Eva Peron on the cover.
Since we noted that not all works in this catalogue pertain to Latin America, here is an example of one. George Augustus Frederick Fitzclarence undertook a journey almost as long as his name in 1817-18. He recounts that trip in Journal of a route across India, through Egypt, to England... Fitzclarence journeyed up the Nile and explored the Egyptian pyramids, but he did not set foot in Latin America. Nevertheless, this first edition provides a look at a long ago journey into territory not well known to the outside world. Item 61. $2,500.
Most Americans probably think of her as the subject of a wildly popular musical play, but Eva Peron was a real human figure in Argentina in 1947. In a nation and continent searching for someone who cared about the masses of poor people, rather than just the privileged few at the top, she was, perhaps, their best hope. Evita was a woman of ordinary background who became an actress, and in 1945, married soon to be President Juan Peron. She was a loyal backer of her husband, whose checkered career is too much to consider in a catalogue review, but Evita, like he, ended up with both an army of fanatic supporters and vehement detractors. Today, whatever she was, Evita is certainly a symbol, particularly to the poor. Eva Peron contracted cancer, and at the age of 33, died in 1952. Her husband was overthrown a few years later, though he would return to the presidency for a brief term in the 1970s before dying in office. Item 30 is a copy of Time Magazine, the Latin American Edition, dated July 14, 1947, with Eva Peron's photo on the cover. Only a year into her brief, six-year career as first lady, she was already a legend. $480.
Libreria de Antano may be reached by email at books@millic.com.ar or by phone at (5411) 4822-7178.
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