Orden dentro del desorden: circulación de libros de derecho en Nueva España, 1585–1640

Law books circulated widely in New Spain; we find evidence of them both in the private libraries of Crown officials and in the institutional libraries of religious orders. The books were either trans- ported from Europe or acquired in New Spanish cities, where they were available due to the commerci...

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Main Author: Idalia García
Format: Article
Language:deu
Published: Max Planck Institute for Legal History and Legal Theory 2021-11-01
Series:Rechtsgeschichte - Legal History
Subjects:
Online Access:https://proceedings.hpsg.xyz/index.php/rg/article/view/74
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author Idalia García
author_facet Idalia García
author_sort Idalia García
collection DOAJ
description Law books circulated widely in New Spain; we find evidence of them both in the private libraries of Crown officials and in the institutional libraries of religious orders. The books were either trans- ported from Europe or acquired in New Spanish cities, where they were available due to the commercial networks established by booksellers from the 16th century onwards. These books contributed to the recreation of a Western normative order in American societies and thus played a key role in the emergence of a new legal culture. The identification of the specific editions used by readers in New Spain requires the analysis both of historical documents and of the books themselves, as far as these are extant. However, this evidence cannot help us answer a number of crucial questions regarding the significance and use of these books: which books were fundamental in establishing a normative order in the Viceroyalty of New Spain? What was seen as a law book at that time? Indeed, what different kinds and genres of books can be considered legal literature? These questions do not have simple answers, but rather require us to consider also other aspects, such as the contemporary understanding of what constituted typical »jurists’ books« during the Ancien Régime, and whether their presence in the collections of oidores, judges, prosecutors and lawyers actually reflected these officials’ legal practice. In order to approach these questions, this article analyses the earliest extant lists of books from the viceregal period, drawn up between 1585 and 1640. These book lists were prepared in the context of the inquisitorial control over the circulation of books within the Spanish empire and provide us with information on the first wave of books that entered New Spain.
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publisher Max Planck Institute for Legal History and Legal Theory
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series Rechtsgeschichte - Legal History
spelling doaj-art-a0fb28929885475d917c051b714a45772025-02-11T06:08:51ZdeuMax Planck Institute for Legal History and Legal TheoryRechtsgeschichte - Legal History1619-49932195-96172021-11-0129Orden dentro del desorden: circulación de libros de derecho en Nueva España, 1585–1640Idalia García0Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México Law books circulated widely in New Spain; we find evidence of them both in the private libraries of Crown officials and in the institutional libraries of religious orders. The books were either trans- ported from Europe or acquired in New Spanish cities, where they were available due to the commercial networks established by booksellers from the 16th century onwards. These books contributed to the recreation of a Western normative order in American societies and thus played a key role in the emergence of a new legal culture. The identification of the specific editions used by readers in New Spain requires the analysis both of historical documents and of the books themselves, as far as these are extant. However, this evidence cannot help us answer a number of crucial questions regarding the significance and use of these books: which books were fundamental in establishing a normative order in the Viceroyalty of New Spain? What was seen as a law book at that time? Indeed, what different kinds and genres of books can be considered legal literature? These questions do not have simple answers, but rather require us to consider also other aspects, such as the contemporary understanding of what constituted typical »jurists’ books« during the Ancien Régime, and whether their presence in the collections of oidores, judges, prosecutors and lawyers actually reflected these officials’ legal practice. In order to approach these questions, this article analyses the earliest extant lists of books from the viceregal period, drawn up between 1585 and 1640. These book lists were prepared in the context of the inquisitorial control over the circulation of books within the Spanish empire and provide us with information on the first wave of books that entered New Spain. https://proceedings.hpsg.xyz/index.php/rg/article/view/74legal booksnormative literaturecirculation of booksNew Spain
spellingShingle Idalia García
Orden dentro del desorden: circulación de libros de derecho en Nueva España, 1585–1640
Rechtsgeschichte - Legal History
legal books
normative literature
circulation of books
New Spain
title Orden dentro del desorden: circulación de libros de derecho en Nueva España, 1585–1640
title_full Orden dentro del desorden: circulación de libros de derecho en Nueva España, 1585–1640
title_fullStr Orden dentro del desorden: circulación de libros de derecho en Nueva España, 1585–1640
title_full_unstemmed Orden dentro del desorden: circulación de libros de derecho en Nueva España, 1585–1640
title_short Orden dentro del desorden: circulación de libros de derecho en Nueva España, 1585–1640
title_sort orden dentro del desorden circulacion de libros de derecho en nueva espana 1585 1640
topic legal books
normative literature
circulation of books
New Spain
url https://proceedings.hpsg.xyz/index.php/rg/article/view/74
work_keys_str_mv AT idaliagarcia ordendentrodeldesordencirculaciondelibrosdederechoennuevaespana15851640