The Catálogo of the manuscripts of García Icazbalceta constitutes the ninth monograph in the series of bibliographical studies by the Secretaria de Relaciones. The editor claims that it is a reproduction of the original manuscript prepared by García Icazbalceta for his own use and later loaned to his friend, Nicolás León. In the Introduction the editor states that there are at least three other manuscript copies of the Catálogo known, one in the possession of the García Pimental family, one, that formerly belonged to Jos é María Agreda y Sánchez, in the University of Texas Library, and one, which was sent by Garcia Icazbalceta to his friend in Spain, Marcos Jim énez de la Espada.
This statement in the Introduction gives the reader the impression that the copy used for publication is the original, that the other manuscript copies were made from it, that the Catálogo published comprises the complete document, carefully reproduced without alterations, and that the notes only are supplied by the editor. As a matter of fact, the manuscript here printed is a list made by García Icazbalceta for his friend, Nicolás León, and was taken from the Catálogo de Libros y Manuscritos kept by García Icazbalceta for his own use. This consists of seventy-seven leaves of which twenty-three only are taken up by the manuscripts in his collection. It is these twenty-three leaves which have been printed as the complete catalogue.
The Agreda y Sánchez manuscript is in the handwriting of the daughter of Señor García Icazbalceta, who often acted as his secretary. It is more amply annotated than the list published and, judging from the additional notes and corrections, it is the copy which García Icazbalceta used until the time of his death, when it probably passed into the hands of Agreda y Sánchez. It is to be regretted that the editor did not consult the other copies which he knew existed and to two of which he had access. Many of the notes added would have been unnecessary, while others would have been corrected. The most serious shortcoming of the present publication is the omission of several manuscripts listed in the Catálogo de Libros y Manuscritos of García Icazbalceta.
The García Icazbalceta collection, one of the finest in Mexico at the time of the collector's death, has been dispersed. The Catálogo is a well deserved tribute to one of Mexico's most distinguished scholars, and it will always be a useful guide to the collector and student of sixteenth century Mexico.
C. E. C.
How to cite:
"Catálogo de la colección de manuscritos relativos a la historia de América", Volume 031, Number 3, Southwestern Historical Quarterly Online, Page 293 - 294. http://www.tsha.utexas.edu/publications/journals/shq/online/v031/n3/review_18.html
[Accessed Mon Nov 23 9:18:01 CST 2009]
