Alzina papers : bibliographic notes on Alzina's history of the islands and people of the Bisayas; more about Alzina's Historia de Bisayas; and the Zulu

This document comprises scholarly notes and essays charting the complex bibliographic history of the manuscript Historia de las Islas e Indios de Bisayas by the Spanish Jesuit priest Fr. Francisco Ignacio Alcina (1609-1674), which was completed in 1668. The paper here documents the efforts, primarily by the Philippine Studies Program at the University of Chicago in the 1950s and 1960s, to locate, microfilm, and prepare the long-missing and fragmented work for translation and annotation. Alcina’s work is considered a unique and foundational text on the natural and cultural history of the Visayan Islands. The articles describe the location of various fragments and copies in institutions like the Lenox branch of the New York Public Library, the Biblioteca Real in Madrid (Muñoz copy) , and the Ateneo de Manila (San Cugat copy). The research is significant to the study of Philippine history as it reveals the provenance of a key primary source necessary for scholarly understanding of the pre-colonial and early colonial Visayas.

The book is considered valuable. It is advised that researchers use digital copy rather than physical books for preservation purposes.

APA Citation:

Hester, E. D., & Lietz, P. S. (c. 1961–1962). Alzina papers: bibliographic notes on Alzina's history of the Islands and people of the Bisayas; and more about Alzina's Historia de Bisayas. Philippine Studies Program, University of Chicago.