Incunables
Item
Country
ES
Name of institution (English)
National Library of Spain
Name of institution (official language of the state)
Language of name of institution
spa
Contact information: postal address
Paseo de Recoletos 20-22, 28071 Madrid
Contact information: phone number
0034 915807800
Contact information: web address
Contact information: email
Reference number
INC
Type of reference number
Archival reference number
Title (English)
Incunabula
Title (official language of the state)
Incunables
Language of title
spa
Creator / accumulator
National Library of Spain
Date(s)
1400/1797
Language(s)
cat
deu
fra
heb
ita
lat
spa
others
Extent
3,161 storage units
Type of material
Graphic Material
Textual Material
Scope and content
The Incunables collection comprises works printed before 1501 (incunabulum) and other books printed after that date, as far as the 18th century.
It includes some books printed in Jewish printing houses or authored by Sephardic Jews, such as the following:
Inc/1138: Hebrew bible with notes by Salomonis ben Isaac Rashi. Bologna: printed by Abraham ben Chajimby, 1482.
Inc/1453: Abraham ben Ezra, De nativitatibus. Venice: printed by Erhard Ratdolt, 1485.
Inc/2711: Pentatheuc with Haftarot and Megilot. [Híjar]: Eliézer ben Abraham Alantansi, [c. 1487-1488].
Inc/1077: Abraham Zacuto, Ephemerides sive Almanach perpetuum. Translated by José Vizinho. Leiria: Samuel d’Ortas, 1496.
It includes some books printed in Jewish printing houses or authored by Sephardic Jews, such as the following:
Inc/1138: Hebrew bible with notes by Salomonis ben Isaac Rashi. Bologna: printed by Abraham ben Chajimby, 1482.
Inc/1453: Abraham ben Ezra, De nativitatibus. Venice: printed by Erhard Ratdolt, 1485.
Inc/2711: Pentatheuc with Haftarot and Megilot. [Híjar]: Eliézer ben Abraham Alantansi, [c. 1487-1488].
Inc/1077: Abraham Zacuto, Ephemerides sive Almanach perpetuum. Translated by José Vizinho. Leiria: Samuel d’Ortas, 1496.
Archival history
The National Library of Spain has the most substantial incunabula collection in the country. The first copies arrived with one of the founding collections, the library of Juan Francisco Pacheco Téllez Girón, Duke of Uceda, confiscated by Felipe V. However, it was only in 1736 that the royal library composed a substantial collection of incunabula. In that year, Juan de Iriarte, with the support of the head librarian Blas Antonio de Nasarre, completed an exchange of volumes with the Dominican Convent of Santo Tomás in Ávila, adding 315 copies of 15th-century editions to the royal collection.
The purchase of private, scholarly or noble libraries was the most common procedure used during the 18th century to increase the royal library's collection.
A new moment of interest in the formation of the National Library's incunabula collection occurred in 1886 with the incorporation of the Ducal Library of Osuna and Infantado. Two other events also deserve special mention: firstly, the transfer of the library of the Ministerio de Fomento (Ministry of Public Works) in 1888, which incorporated 15 incunabula, and secondly, the famous auction held in Paris in 1891 to liquidate the library of Ricardo Heredia y Livermore, Count of Benahavis, on which occasion the library obtained around ten important copies. The next great moment in the collection formation occurred in 1899 when the library of Pascual de Gayangos y Arce was incorporated. The copies in that collection were numerous compared to the collections mentioned above.
The Incunabula collection has continued to grow by acquiring copies that have appeared on the market or were in the possession of private individuals.
The collection currently includes two editions of woodcut books, each with its own copy, and 2,298 incunabula editions represented by 3159 copies.
The purchase of private, scholarly or noble libraries was the most common procedure used during the 18th century to increase the royal library's collection.
A new moment of interest in the formation of the National Library's incunabula collection occurred in 1886 with the incorporation of the Ducal Library of Osuna and Infantado. Two other events also deserve special mention: firstly, the transfer of the library of the Ministerio de Fomento (Ministry of Public Works) in 1888, which incorporated 15 incunabula, and secondly, the famous auction held in Paris in 1891 to liquidate the library of Ricardo Heredia y Livermore, Count of Benahavis, on which occasion the library obtained around ten important copies. The next great moment in the collection formation occurred in 1899 when the library of Pascual de Gayangos y Arce was incorporated. The copies in that collection were numerous compared to the collections mentioned above.
The Incunabula collection has continued to grow by acquiring copies that have appeared on the market or were in the possession of private individuals.
The collection currently includes two editions of woodcut books, each with its own copy, and 2,298 incunabula editions represented by 3159 copies.
Administrative / Biographical history
The library was founded by King Felipe V ( 1683-1746) of Spain in 1712 as the Biblioteca Pública de Palacio (Palace Public Library). The Royal Letters Patent that followed the foundation made it mandatory for printers to submit a copy of every book printed in Spain to the library. In 1836, the library's status as Crown property was revoked, and ownership was transferred to the Ministerio de la Gobernación (Ministry of Governance). At the same time, it was renamed to Biblioteca Nacional (National Library).
Access points: locations
Access points: persons, families
Access points: subject terms
Access points: document types
Access, restrictions
Numerous documents are available online:
Links to finding aids
Author of the description
Kevin Soares, 2023
Bibliography
Linked resources
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