The Lopez Library: An Archeion for Today
by Serafin D. Quiason

The institution is such that the librar y functions like a magnet that attracts researchers and scholars both here and abroad because of the unique qualities of its holdings. A succinct sur vey of the nature, size, and breadth of a wide variety of resources of permanent value in the librar y has been steadily growing since its inception. There is constant grow th in the collections, particularly with current publications and private donations that turn out to be of immense value to researchers. To date, the total collection of Filipiniana book and periodical titles is slightly over 20,000. The specialized materials such as archival manuscripts,1 maps, photographs, stamps, theses and dissertations, government documents and microfilms, Japanese propaganda posters, cartoons, and newspapers, are enormous, having their intrinsic value, and therefore, are worth precious storage space.

Commitment to Scholarship

The institution that Don Eugenio López, Sr. established fifty years ago on a happy occasion in honor of his beloved parents Don Benito López and Doña Presentacion Hofileña stands committed to scholarship, education, refinement, and instructive amusement of the Filipino people.

Since the inception of the institution, both primar y and secondar y Filipiniana materials have increased significantly. Many of the titles reflect Don Eugenio's passion and scholarly taste for works on epoch-making voyages such as those of James Burney's A Chronological histor y of discoveries of the South Sea or Pacific Oceans, London 1803-1817 (5 vols); Martin Fernandez de Naverrette's: Coleccion de los viajes y descubrimientos ... Madrid, 1825-1837 (5 vols); Richard Hakluyt's The principal navigations, voyages traffiques and discoveries of the English nation... London, 1927- 1928 (10 vols); and Samuel Purchas' Hakluytus posthumus or Purchas his pilgrimes... London, 1905-1907 (20 vols).

Travel Accounts

The early explorers and travelers wrote firsthand account s on what they saw and experienced in the Philippines. Their writings on the ethnic groups stimulated thought and aroused curiosity, especially on what they perceived as unusual and bizarre aspects of indigenous life and culture. Notable among the early travelers' accounts are Giovanni Francisco Gemelli Carreri, Giro del Mundo, Napoli, 1708 (5 vols); Alexander Dalr ymple, A historical collection of several voyages and discoveries on the South Pacific ocean... (2 vols in 1) London, 1770; Pierre Marie Francois Pages, Vicomte de voyages autor des monde... Paris, 1782 (2 vols); William Dampier, A collection of voyages, London, 1792 (4 vols.), Jean Francis Galaup de la Perouse, Voyage de la Perouse autour de monde... Paris, 1797 (4 vols), among others.

Fernao de Magalhaes, the Portuguese circumnavigator of the world and first European to set foot on Philippine soil, provided a provocative subject to a host of authors. The library has the third edition of Maximilianus Transylvanus' De Moluccis Insulis, Rome, 1524, and a narrative account based on the sur vivors' testimonies of Magellan's expedition. This is a rare gem. Since 1874, a sizeable set of European, American, and Canadian biographers have been cropping up, foremost among them are Lord Stanley of Alderly (1874), Jean Denuce (1911), James Farquarson Leys (1921), Eduard F. Benson (1924), Stephen Zweig (1938), Charles Mckew Parr (1953), Marius Mitchel (1956), Charles E. Nowell (1962), Rodrigue Levesque (1990), Jean Paul Alaux, Gines de Mapra, and F. H. Guillemard. The most recent is the author Lawrence Evergreen whose "Over the Edge of the World" (2004) is a captivating narrative of the first circumnavigation of the globe.

Rare Materials

Of the 215 Philippine imprints published from 1597 to 1800 in Manila and other key towns, the Librar y has t wenty-one rare titles; and six ty-nine rare items from the eighteenth centur y and 777 titles from the nineteenth centur y.

The collection and preser vation of rare book s and manuscript s had been an erudite hobby of the tiny segment of the Spanish colonial society. These flourished mainly in key cultural centers like Intramuros and, later, in the districts of Sta. Cruz and Quiapo. Two factors stimulated the flow of reading materials from Spain and subsequent printing of book s in Manila: the first was the intellectual needs of civil and ecclesiastical communities; the second was the growing commercial prosperity of the tiny Hispanic elite and the principalia-cum-ilustrados. With the passage of time, they fostered the habit of collecting and religious libraries came into existence in the various religious houses and wealthy private houses in Manila.

The Philippine incunabula are books of prayers in Spanish, Tagalog, and other ethnic languages published during the first fifty years of printing, which in the countr y started in 1593. A priceless gem in the collection of incunabula is the unique edition of Roberto Francesco Romolo Bellarmino's Doctrina Cristiana, translated into Ilocano by Padre Francisco Lopez (Fig. 31). This was published in 1620 in the convent of St. Peter, Manila by Antonio Damba, a Kapampangan and Miguel Saixo, a Japanese. The ex tant copy has a cover page which reads: Libro a naisuratan amin ti bagas, ti Dotrina Cristiana nga naisurat iti libro....

The intensive quest for another copy by Don Eugenio H. Lopez, Sr. finally wound up in the acquisition of "bits and pieces" that now form one of the most priceless pieces in the librar y collections. This Doctrina in Ilocano was purchased from the Libreria el Callejon in Madrid for the handsome sum of $3,500. Another piece of rare jewel is the Relacion de las islas Filipinas, Rome 1604 by Padre Pedro Chirino, S.J.. Although the Librar y does not have the first edition of Morga's Sucesos de las Islas Filipinas, Mexico, 1609,2 it does have José Rizal's 1890 edition, Blair and Robertson's 1904 edition, and W.E. Retana's 1909 edition.

Among the many items worthy of note include dictionaries, grammars, sermons, devotional literatures (Novenas), lives of saints, and other religious tract s that were used as evangelical aids in the propagation of Roman Catholicism. The devotional literature and religious works are of immense value to researchers and for exhibition purposes because they mirror the devotion of Christianized ethnic peoples and form the religious heritage of the Spanish colonial period.

Dictionaries, Missionary Accounts, and Literary Works

Anyone who knows the Jesuits as scholars and missionaries and is quite familiar with their work s has been conditioned to expect thoroughness and an aura of authoritativeness. The same qualities characterized the work of Domingo Ezguerra, S.J. entitled Arte de la Lengua Bisaya de la Provincia de Leite , Madrid, 1747 (facsim). The methods and tactics employed by the Spanish missionaries were sometimes similar to the adaptations that their counterparts practiced in the Americas, China, and India. Many adaptations were made to suit the early Filipino beliefs, customs, and practices. And in so doing, Catholicism was presented in a form suitable to the psychic needs of the Filipinos. The most obvious of this adaptation was the publication of dictionaries, grammars, and numerous religious tract s in vernacular languages such as those of Diego Berganos's Vocabulario de la lengua Pampanga..., Manila, 1729; Sebastian de Totanes' Arte de la lengua Tagalo y manual Tagalog..., Sampaloc, 1745; Andres San Agustin's Arte dela lengua Bicol..., Sampaloc, 1795 (Fig. 35); Alonso de Mentrida's Arte de la lengua bisaya, hiliguaynon de las islas de Panay, 1818; Mariano Pellicer's Arte de la lengua Pangasinan o Caboloan..., Manila, 1840; and Andres Carro's Vocabulario iloco-espanol ..., Manila, 1886.

Quite a few Spanish missionaries wrote outstanding histories of merit on the Philippines. These include Juan de la Concepcion's Historia General de Philipinas... Manila, 1788-1792 (14 vols.); Joaquin Martinez de Zuniga's Estadismo de las Islas Philipinas Sampaloc, 1803; Juan Ferrando's Historia de los pp. Dominicos en las Islas Filipinas, 1870-1872; and Francisco Combes, Historia de las Islas Mindanao y Jolo..., Madrid, 1667, which have long held the field as primar y sources.

Periodicals and Literary Notables

The years after the outbreak of the Philippine revolution and early American occupation witnessed the steady growth of incredibly fascinating literary works in Tagalog and other vernacular languages. Some outstanding Filipino authors are Pablo Tecson, Patricio Mariano, Lope K. Santos, Iñigo Ed Regalado, Aurelio Tolentino, Severino Reyes, Jose Corazon de Jesus, Florentino Collantes, Macario Pineda, and Jose Sevilla, to mention a few.

Periodicals and newspapers are integral parts of the world of books. The ephemeral periodicals published during the late Spanish colonial era, the Philippine revolutionar y period, and early American regime are a mine of information for students of culture, histor y, arts, and advertising. Included in this categor y and in order of the publication are the following: Ilustracion Filipina,1859-1860; Gaceta de Manila , 1869-1898; El Comercio,1871-1925; La Ilustracion de Oriente , 1875-1878; Diario de Manila , 1883 and 1896; a few copies of La Solidaridad; Heraldo de la Revolucion, 1898; La Republica Filipina, 1898; La Independencia,1898; Philippine Review,1916-1921; and Philippine Magazine, 1930-1941; and Philippines Free Press, 1946-1972; 1986-present.

Contemporary learned journals such as Philippine Studies, 1953-present; Unitas, 1923-present; Bulletin of American Historical Collection, 1972-present; American Chamber of Commerce Journal, 1921-present; Philippine Social Science Review, 1930-1998 (with many gaps); Philippine Quarterly of Culture and Society, 1973- present; and Ad veritatem, 2002-present are quite useful to researchers interested in specialized topics and other disciplinary areas of studies.

Microfilms and Digitization

Microfilming is one of the best methods for the preser vation of endangered materials of high research value. The process of digitizing the fragile research materials is now in progress. Microfilm copies of the Revolutionar y papers (commonly known as the Philippine Insurgent Records) in 646 reels; American Consular Reports, 1817-1898 in six reels from the National Archives, Washington, D.C.; and several reels of the British Consular Reports, circa 184 4-1898, together with the H. H. Bartlett collection in 82 reels from the American Philosophical Society Librar y, Philadelphia are among the significant additions to the growing microfilm collection. The microfilming of The Tribune covering the years 1925 to 1945; Manila Chronicle, 1945-1972; Harpers Weekly; Mindanao Herald and other old newspapers has been completed and carried out by Kodak Philippines. Today, the microfilmed journals are accessible in digital format.

The cartoons and caricatures drawn skillfully by Liborio "Gat" Gatbonton are useful and provide good insights into the leading personalities of the period. These number about 480 in the best state of preservation.

Postage Stamps, Photography, and Bibliographies

The Philippine postage stamps reveal a great deal about Philippine histor y, culture, geography, ethnography, flora and fauna, and the lives of prominent Filipinos. The Philippine stamp collections are not ex tensive but contain many rare pieces. It is interesting to know that those minted from the period 1946-present have continued to increase in value, some ranging up to 15%. Major General Frank McIntyre is acknowledged as having made a major contribution to the development of the American-Philippine postage stamps.

Photographs are visual materials of enduring value. They are also important as historical and cultural documents, requiring expert attention because of their physical and chemical complexities. Fragile and less durable than book s, photographs will deteriorate unless conser ved. These total slightly over 200,000, including the donation from the heirs of Doña Narcisa de Leon of LVN. They form an aggregate set of documents that present great potential as witnesses to personages, events, and scenes taken from certain perspectives and precise moments in time.

Bibliographic tools provide convenient access to knowledge and information about the existence of the stored research materials. The most authoritative and ex tremely helpful bibliographies are Dr. Trinidad H. Pardo de Tavera's Biblioteca Filipinas, Washington, 1902, Wenceslao Retana's Aparato bibliografico de la historia general de Filipinas, Madrid, 1906; Alexander Robert son's Bibliography of the Philippine Islands, Ohio, 1908; Shiro Saito's Philippine Ethnography, Honolulu, 1972; and Kohar Rony's Philippine Holdings in the Library of Congress, 1960-1987, Washington, D.C., 1993.

In the Tradition of Asian Scholars

As we commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of the founding of the Lopez Memorial Museum and Library, a few fervent thoughts are in order on Eugenio H. Lopez, Sr. as an ardent enthusiast. He labored silently and creatively in the tradition of Asian scholarship and learning. Over the years, the library collections that he assiduously developed stand as his enduring gem of legacy to the Filipino people after whose welfare he earnestly cared. In the routine of his life, he was a humanist in the fullest sense of the word. The vast and rich span of librar y materials have offered the public invaluable research and historic sources, inestimable aesthetic delight, and created emotional ties with Philippine culture and its peoples that will endure all time.