I.

BIBLIOGRAPHY OF ABORIGINAL AMERICA.

_By the Editor._

THE student will find a general survey of “Les Sources de l’histoire anté-Colombienne du nouveau monde, par Léon de Rosny,” in the _Revue Orientale et Américaine_ (_Mém. de la soc. d’ethnographie_) _session de 1877_ (p. 139). Bancroft in his _Native Races_ (v. 136) makes a similar grouping of the classes of sources relating to the primitive Americans.[1809] These classes are defined in Daniel G. Brinton’s _Review of the data for the study of the prehistoric chronology of America_ (Salem, 1887), from the _Proceedings of the Amer. Asso. for the Advancement of Science_ (vol. xxxvi.), as conveniently divided into groups pertaining to legendary, monumental, industrial, linguistic, physical, and geological phenomena.

There have been given in the Introduction of the present volume the titles of general bibliographies of American histories, most of which include more or less of the titles pertaining to aboriginal times. It is the purpose of the present brief essay to enumerate, in an approximately chronological order, the titles of some of those and of others which are useful to the archæologist. So far as they are of service to the student of the American languages, an extended list will be found prefixed to Pilling’s _Proof-Sheets_ (p. xi).

The earliest American bibliography was that of Antonio de Leon, usually called Pinelo,—_Epitome de la Biblioteca oriental y occidental náutica y Geográfica_ (Madrid, 1629),—but which is usually found in the edition of Gonzales de Barcía, “Añadido y enmendado nuevamente” (Paris, 1737-1738), in which the American titles, including numerous manuscripts, are given in the second volume.[1810]

The _Bibliotheca Hispana Nova_ of Nicolás Antonio was first published at Rome in 1672, but in a second edition at Madrid in 1783-88.[1811]

Passing by the _Bibliotheca Mexicana_ of Eguiara y Eguren,[1812] and the early edition of Beristain, we note the new edition of the latter, prepared not by Juan Evangelista Guadalajara, as Brasseur notes,[1813] but by another, as the title shows,—_Biblioteca Hispano-Americana Septentrional, ó catalogo y noticia de los Literatos que ó nacidos, ó educados, ó florecientes en la America Septentrional Española, han dado á luz algun escrito ó lo han dexado preparado para la prensa por José Mariano Beristain y Martin de Souza. Segunda edicion, por Fortino Hipólito Vera_ (Amecameca, 1883).

Dr. Robertson intimates that the lists of books which writers of the seventeenth century had been in the habit of prefixing to their books as evidence of their industry had come to be regarded as an ostentatious expression of their learning, and with some hesitancy he counted out to the reader his 717 titles; but Clavigero, as elsewhere pointed out,[1814] was richer in such resources. Humboldt, in his _Vues_,[1815] gives a list of the authors which he cites.

The class of dealers’ catalogues—we cite only such as have decided bibliographical value—begins to be conspicuous in Paul Trömel’s _Bibliothèque Américaine_ (Leipzig, 1861), the best of the German ones, and in Charles Leclerc’s _Bibliotheca Americana_ (Paris, 1867), much improved in his _Bibliotheca Americana. Histoire, géographie, voyages, archéologie et linguistique des deux Amériques et des îles Philippines_ (Paris, 1878), with later supplements, constituting the best of the French catalogues, provided with an excellent index and a linguistic table, rendered necessary by the classified plan of the list.

The list formed by students in this field begins with the _Bibliotheca Americana Vetustissima_ of Harrisse (New York, 1866; additions, Paris, 1872), and includes the _Bibliothèque Mexico-Guatémalienne, précédée d’un coup d’œil sur les études américaines dans leurs rapports avec les études classiques, et suivie du tableau, par ordre alphabétique, des ouvrages de linguistique Américaine contenus dans le même volume_ (Paris, 1871) of the Abbé Brasseur de Bourbourg, who at that time had been twenty-five years engaged in the studies and travels which led to the gathering of his collection. The library, almost entire, was later joined to that of Alphonse L. Pinart, and was included in the latter’s _Catalogue de livres rares et précieux, manuscrits et imprimés_ (Paris, 1883).

In 1866, Icazbalceta published at Mexico his _Apuntes para un Catálogo de Escritores en lenguas indígenas de América_,[1816] but of his great bibliographical work only one volume has as yet appeared: _Bibliografía Américana del Siglo xvi. Primera parte_. _Catálogo razonado de libros impresos en México de 1539 à 1600, con biografías de autores y otras ilustraciones, precedido de una noticia acerca de la introducción de la imprenta en México_ (México, 1886).

Bandelier has embodied some of the results of his study in his “Notes on the Bibliography of Yucatan and Central America,” in the _Amer. Antiq. Soc. Proc._, n. s., i. pp. 82-118.

The catalogues of collections having special reference to aboriginal America are the following:—

_Catalogue de la Bibliothèque de José Maria Andrade, 7,000 pièces et volumes, ayant rapport au Méxique ou imprimés dans ce pays_ (Leipzig, 1869).[1817]

_Bibliotheca Mejicana_: _Books and manuscripts almost wholly relating to the history and literature of North and South America, particularly Mexico_ (London, 1869). This collection was formed by Augustin Fischer, chaplain to the Emperor Maximilian; but there were added to the catalogue some titles from the collection of Dr. C. H. Berendt.

_Catalogue of the library of E. G. Squier, edited by Joseph Sabin_ (N. Y., 1876).

_Bibliotheca Mexicana, or A Catalogue of the library of the rare books and important MSS. relating to Mexico and other parts of Spanish America, formed by the late Señor Don José Fernando Ramirez_ (London, 1880). This catalogue was edited by the Abbé Fischer.[1818]

The most useful guides to the literature of aboriginal America, however, are some compiled in this country. First, the comprehensive though not yet complete bibliography, Joseph Sabin’s _Dictionary of books relating to America_, now being continued since Sabin’s death, and with much skill, by Wilberforce Eames. Second, the voluminous _Proof-sheets of a Bibliography of the languages of the North American Indians_ (Washington, 1885), prepared by James Constantine Pilling, tentatively, in a large quarto volume, distributed only to collaborators, and out of which, with emendations and additions, he is now publishing special sections of it, of which have already appeared those relating to the Eskimo and Siouan tongues. His enumeration so much exceeds the range of purely linguistic monographs that the treatises become in effect general bibliographies of aboriginal America.

Third, _An Essay towards an Indian bibliography, being a Catalogue of books relating to the history, antiquities, languages, customs, religion, wars, literature and origin of the American Indians, in the library of Thos. W. Field, with bibliographical and historical notes and synopses of the contents of some of the works least known_ (N. Y., 1873). The sale of Mr. Field’s library took place in New York, May, 1875, from a Catalogue not so elaborate, but still of use. These books are not so accurately compiled as to be wholly trustworthy as final resorts.

Finally, the list prefixed to Bancroft’s _Native Races_, vol. i., and the references of his foot-notes, throughout his five volumes (condensed often in Short’s _North Americans of Antiquity_), are on the whole the most serviceable aids to the general student, but unfortunately the index of the set is of no use in searching for bibliographical detail.

The reader will remember that the bibliographies of sectional or

## partial import in the field of American archæology are referred to

elsewhere in the present volume.