Catálogo de la Biblioteca Filipina de W. E. Retana. (Limited edition, presentation copy inscribed by Retana for Hiersemann)

Edición de treinta ejemplares. Madrid : Imprenta de la viuda de M. Minuesa De Los Rios, 1893. Folio (350 x 250 mm), original leather-backed marbled papered boards (a trifle scuffed), spine with raised bands and red morocco title label lettered in gilt; original marbled endpapers; the limitation page records the names of institutional and private collections to whom the 30 copies of this edition have been distributed, but this copy is an “illegitimate” out-of-series example (a proof copy, in a manner of speaking) annotated by Retana as ‘Numero ninguno‘, which he also notes is not printed on ‘rico papel de hilo’ like the 30 legitimate examples; at the head of the first Prologo page is a presentation inscription from Retana to the Leipzig antiquarian bookseller Karl W. Hiersemann, and at its foot Retana has written an apologetic note (in Spanish) asking that Hiersemann not judge him as discourteous for having sent a defective catalogue, explaining that the volume was already in this state, as were the other two identical to this one, which he has given to two Spanish booksellers; by this Retana is referring to the apparently unfinished state of the catalogue, which has a number of pages on different paper trimmed to odd sizes; pp. viii, 118, [1 Corrections y Adiciones], [1 Tabla de Materias – annotated by Retana ‘Los ejemplares legitimos de este catálogo son todos en papel de hilo‘, [1 colophon]; internally very good, and despite the trimming of the margins of several pages, complete as compiled and prepared by Retana.

A bibliographic curiosity – limited to only 30 copies plus 3 proofs – associated with perhaps the most celebrated of all Filipinologists.

Very rare, with no copy appearing at auction since 1969 (Rare Book Hub).