Some Notes on the
Bibliography of the
Philippines
Copyright, 1900,
by
The Free Library of Philadelphia.
Press of
Edward Stern & Co., Inc.
Philadelphia [3]
So many inquiries have been made in the FreeLibrary of Philadelphia for information concerning the history andliterature of the Philippines, that an earnest effort was made sometime ago to gather together books bearing on these subjects. The factthat a short catalogue of Philippine literature, prepared by thebibliographer, W. E. Retana, comprises as many as three thousandseparate works, is a matter known to comparatively few persons, and itwas therefore with considerable interest that the Philobiblon Club ofPhiladelphia obtained the promise of the Rev. Thomas Cooke Middletonthat he would read a paper upon the bibliography of the Philippinesbefore the Club. This Bulletin is a copy of that paper, as read insubstance, and it would have been published several months since butfor the unfortunate loss of the manuscript in the office of thenewspaper to which the author had confided it. In answer to the urgentrequests of the members of the Philobiblon Club, Father Middleton verykindly re-wrote it and consented that it should be printed by the FreeLibrary of Philadelphia for the use of the students and patrons of theLibrary. An evil fate, however, seemed to pursue the manuscript, andwithin four days after it had been completed for the second time itperished in the great fire which destroyed the printing house of J. B.Lippincott Co. Once more the author took courage, and again wrote outthe paper, and these facts are recorded both as a matter of interest,and to explain why this Bulletin has been so long delayed.
A collection of books on the subject of the Philippines is beinggradually accumulated, and it seems desirable both to furnish thereaders in the Library with information upon the subject, and also totake an opportunity to counteract the popular misapprehension as towhat has been done by the residents of the Philippines in the way ofliterature.
Since the collection of works on this subject was commenced the FreeLibrary has prepared and mimeographed from time to time for the use ofits readers “Finding Lists” of the books on the shelvesrelating [4]to the Philippine Islands. The latest of theselists, prepared May 4, 1900, shows that fifty-four volumes have beencollected and also gives references to nearly six hundred magazinearticles in the Library.
Possibly one of the most interesting books received in the Libraryis the Flora de Filipinas, consisting of four foliovolumes of text (printed in Spanish and Latin on the same page) and twoof colored lithographed plates. It was published at Manila1877–1883 for the friars of St. Augustine under the direction ofH. Ex. the late Sebastiano Vidal y Soler, assisted scienti