Elogios Funebres con Que la Santa Iglesia Catedral de Guadalaxara Ha Celebrado la Buena Memoria de Su Prelado el Illo. y Rmo. Señor Mtro. D. Fr. Antonio Alcalde
Guadalaxara: En la Imprenta de Don Mariano Valdes Tellez Giron, 1793. [6],xxviii,[2],49,[2]pp. Small quarto. Original plain wrappers, stitched as issued. Light dampstaining to wrappers, slightly affecting gutter margin of outer text leaves. Some worming, primarily in the gutter, but affecting a few words of text. About very good. Item #5161
The first production of the first press in Guadalajara, the fourth city in Mexico to have a printing press. The work commemorates the funeral obsequies of Fray Antonio Alcalde Barriga, the Dominican Bishop of Guadalajara. Alcalde was a prominent preacher and minister in Spain for three decades until King Charles III sent him to Mexico in 1763; he became the Bishop of Guadalajara in 1771, and served in that capacity until his death in 1792. Following his arrival in the city, he helped to establish the Hospital San Miguel and the Universidad de Guadalajara, and dedicated much of his time and resources to the construction and restoration of churches and schools in the diocese. This book begins with a Latin eulogy given by José Apolonari de Vizcarra, the rector of the seminary in Guadalajara, who had been ordained and appointed by Alcalde. The second major component of this work is the Spanish-language sermon that was pronounced at the funeral by Juan José Moreno y Pizano, the canon of the city cathedral and another Alcalde appointment. The final section is composed of copies of documents illustrative of the generosity and goodness that characterized the bishop's life, including several decrees and a long, detailed list of his gifts to various monasteries, convents, and schools. The volume ends with a sizable, indeed somewhat embarrassing, list of errata for the eulogy and sermon.
The first printer of Guadalajara and the publisher of the present work was Mariano Valdés Tellez Giron. Sometime before 1792, city authorities and well-places private individuals in Guadalajara began to solicit among the printers of Mexico City to attract one of them to their growing metropolis. At first, there were no takers, but eventually Manuel Antonio Valdés, the editor of the Gazeta de México, accepted their offer and guarantees, and sent his son Mariano to fill the position. The father ordered new type and equipment from Spain, and all of the necessary permissions for establishing the first press of Guadalajara were in place by February 1792, but Valdés Tellez Giron did not arrive until the beginning of the next year. As with all first presses, the available work was less than promised or envisioned, but Valdés persisted, and probably did much more job printing than book and broadside work. His presswork is characterized by neatness and good page design.
"The first book printed in Guadalajara. Considerable biographical information of the Bishop, and details of his Mexican achievements, are given by Father Juan Joseph Moreno in this, the funeral sermon for the Bishop" - Nebenzahl. The importance and scarcity of this work are underscored by its facsimile reproduction in a limited edition of fifty copies in 1982. No examples appear in available U.S. sales records since a 1988 Swann auction.
Beristain I, p.303. Medina, Guadalajara 1. Palau 79207. Nebenzahl 4:61. Sabin 29025 & 22362.
Price: $6,500.00