El libro espanol en Londres. La vision de Espana en Inglaterra (siglos xvi al xix)

摘要

EL LIBRO ESPANOL EN LONDRES is a collection of six essays by leading specialists in the history of the (Spanish) book from the sixteenth to the nineteenth centuries. It originated in a Symposium organized at the British Library in May 2016 to celebrate the fourth centenary of the deaths of Cervantes and Shakespeare, and is certainly a worthy contribution to the numerous publications of that notable year. It has long been known that the English (and it was primarily the English rather than the British) were devotees of Cervantes well before other nations, and the Spaniard's early and lasting influence on the English novel is well attested. Thanks to the pioneering work of the late Nigel Glendinning, we also know that the English were among the first to appreciate and buy a wide range of Spanish books that came onto the London book market from the mid-eighteenth century onwards, although the heyday of Spanish book sales was undoubtedly the nineteenth century. This fascinating collection of essays takes us from early collectors of Spanish books, such as Dr William Bates or William Brownsword Chorley ('the other Chorley'), to the British Library's purchases of Spanish chapbooks in the nineteenth century, from early collectors of Cervantes's works to the activities of the bookseller Vicente Salva in London and, finally, the type of Spanish book available to eighteenth-century collectors. Each on its own is a valuable contribution, but together they provide a compelling picture of the London book market for Spanish books.