The following policy operates under the Library's
general policy statements
with respect to collection development.
The Hispanic collections
Hispanic books have been present in the Library's collections from
the earliest years of the British Museum. Works of Hispanic authors
in Spanish and Latin figured among the books of Sir Hans Sloane
and of the Old Royal Library, two of the three foundation collections.
Significant items entered the Library with the major donations of
Cracherode (1799), the King's Library (1823) and, most notably,
Thomas Grenville (1846). In 1900 Henry Spencer Ashbee donated his
collection of editions of the works of Miguel de Cervantes, one
of the finest outside Spain. During the second half of the nineteenth
century, many notable purchases were made, both of individual books
and at the auctions of major collections. Worthy of note are the
acquisition of the unique surviving copy of the first four books
of Amadís de Gaula (1895), of Mexican items once
owned by José Fernando Ramírez, minister under the
Emperor Maximilian (1880), and of books from the Heredia library
(1891-1894). The collection of early Hispanic printed books was
added to in the twentieth century and continues in the present,
as opportunities arise. The major emphasis today, however, is on
the acquisition of current research material from all countries
in the Hispanic world.
Collection development policy
The Hispanic Section today acquires modern printed books, serials
and electronic publications from Spain, Portugal, Latin America,
the Spanish-speaking Caribbean and the former Hispanic territories
in Africa and Asia. In addition to Spanish and Portuguese, the languages
covered include Basque, Catalan, Galician and, to a limited extent,
the indigenous languages of Central and South America. All secondary
material is at research level, while primary material, including
works of literature, is itself envisaged as the subject of research.
Collection strengths
The Library's collection of early Spanish books is arguably the
finest outside Spain. All major authors and presses are well represented
for the period before 1800 and many unique copies are present. A
particular strength lies in the collection of romances of chivalry,
many from the library of Thomas Grenville. Holdings of the works
of Cervantes include all five 1605 editions of the first part of
Don Quixote. The collection of editions of Golden Age plays
is also extraordinarily rich and offers scope for further study.
Notable works in peninsular languages other than Spanish are one
of the three surviving copies of the first edition of Tirant
lo blanc (Valencia, 1490) and a splendid copy of the New Testament
in Basque (La Rochelle, 1571). The outstanding collection of colonial
Spanish American imprints includes a copy of the first surviving
book printed in the New World (Mexico, 1543) and three of the first
four books printed in South America (Lima, 1584-1585).
The modern collections focus on the areas of traditional strengths:
Spanish, Portuguese and Latin American literature; language and
linguistics; the history of the Iberian Peninsula and Latin America
(of all periods, covering political, economic and social history);
historical bibliography; folklore; anthropology. 'New' subject areas
in the humanities have been added, e.g. film, gay and women's studies,
while substantial works on subjects of international importance:
the drug trade, AIDS, social marginalisation and drug addiction,
are also collected. Books on the visual arts (monographs and exhibition
catalogues) are acquired as budgets allow. Studies of significant
phenomena particular to a country or region: liberation theology
in Latin America; the Chiapas rising; rural depopulation, are considered
important. Major official publications (annual statistical volumes,
texts of constitutions, official gazettes) are acquired for each
country. Subjects that are acquired only very selectively include
law, modern theology, philosophy and archaeology. Modern rare books
from Spain or Latin America are occasionally acquired. A notable
exception, however, is the Library's collection of hand-made books
from Cuba, produced by the Vigía workshop (Matanzas, 1985
to date).
