Progress in Providing the Bibliographical Background for Spanish American Studies

Abstract

IN 1912 Romanic Review published a Bibliography of Spanish American Literature which covered thirty-one pages and listed 1,228 items. Its author was Alfred Coester. With its publication a new epoch in history of Inter-American cultural relations began. Before it appeared there had been very little interest in United States in Spanish American books. The books themselves were hard to find and news about them was practically nonexistent. In his search through Poole's Index of Periodicals Professor Coester had been able to discover only one review of any Spanish American publication and that one, which discussed a few volumes of Mexican and Cuban poetry, had been written in 1849. Among all items of his bibliography there appear only two books by North American authors: G. P. Winship's Early South American Newspapers (Worcester, 1908) and Frederick Starr's Readings from Modern Mexican Authors (Chicago, 1904). Professor Coester's bibliography was based upon first great representative collection of Spanish American literature to be assembled in this country-that of Hispanic Society of America, whose library at that time contained the largest collection of books pertaining to literature of Spanish America that has ever been gathered in one place.' The Society had opened its library to scholars just a few years before (1908) and Professor Coester was first to explore its riches and report his findings to his colleagues in United States and throughout world. In three decades which have passed since 1912 spiritual ties between two Americas have grown stronger than in three centuries before that date. The literature of Spanish America has become a matter of deep concern to North American scholars. Some of most devoted of these, recognizing that adequate bibliographical information is indispensable basis for valid historical and critical judgment, have dedicated much time and labor to task of providing this essential background for studies in field of literature.