The Spanish Speaking World from Libreria de Antano

Item 26 is a key work on the Spanish settlement of North America, in particular Mexico (which then included today's American Southwest). It is Los 21 libros rituales i monarchia Indiana... by Juan de Torquemada. This is the greatly expanded 1723 second edition (the first, published in 1615, is virtually unobtainable). Torquemada was a missionary who traveled to New Spain as a child. He was ordained in Mexico in 1579. While Torquemada grew up about 50 years after the Spanish conquest of Mexico, and so did not have first hand knowledge, he had access to much in the way of documents concerning that time. He also had access to older people, particularly Indians, who could tell him what they knew, and what had been handed down orally by their ancestors. He also studied ancient pictographs and writings. In this way, Torquemada was able to learn about Mexican culture before the arrival of the Spanish. While other manuscripts from this era were published much later, Torquemada's account of early New Spain was the only one available at the time it was first published. Along with his description of Mexico, Torquemada appears to have interviewed the Spanish explorer Pedro Fernandez de Quiros, who attempted to find a southern continent, but found some Pacific islands instead. $19,800.

Item 42 is a small atlas by Tomas Lopez, Atlas Geographico de la America Septentrional y Meridional. This atlas contains 37 maps of the Spanish Americas from 1758. It will be of notable interest to collectors of Americana as significant portions of the United States were still, and would be for many years, under Spanish rule in 1758. Among the maps are ones for California, New Mexico, and Florida. $17,500.

Item 107 is a copy of the first book by Jorge Luis Borges, Fervor de Buenos Aires, published in 1923. It was not a bestseller. Three hundred copies were printed, and Borges had to give most away. This copy has been inscribed by Borges to Uruguayan painter Pedro Figari. $39,000.

Liberia de Antano may be reached at +5411 5272-1618 or info@antano.com.ar.