'MAGIC REALISM'
CARPENTIER, Alejo.
El Reino de este mundo (relato).
Lima, Talleres Gráficos Torres Aguirres, [1959].
8vo, pp. 122 + 4 ll. advertisements; somewhat spotted; in the original printed wrappers, some discoloration.
Carpentier’s second novel, re-published on the occasion of the ‘1er Festival del Libro Cubano’ in 1959. First published in Mexico in 1949, the novel treats slave uprisings in 18th century Haiti. The original introduction (reprinted here) contains the first mention of the concept of ‘magic realism’, ‘lo real maravilloso’.
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[COURTILZ DE SANDRAS, Gatien de.]
Les dames dans leur naturel, ou la galanterie sans façon. Sous le regne du Grand Alcandre.
First edition, uncommon, of this story, ‘found in a cabinet, long after it had been written’ by the French novelist and pamphleteer Gatien de Courtilz de Sandras (1644–1712), nowadays best known for his semi-fictionalised Mémoires de Mr. d’Artagnan, which heavily influenced Dumas’ later work. Despite its claims of antiquity, the reign of the ‘Grand Alcandre’ in which Les dames dans leur naturel is set is clearly that of Louis XIV, and the novel satirises the court and the women at it in a way that echoes Bussy-Rabutin’s Histoire amoureuse des Gaules of two decades previous.
MENDONÇA, Manoel Teixeira Cabral de.
O Guarda-livros moderno ou curso completo de instrucções elementares sobre as operações do commercio, tanto em mercadorias como em banco. Offerecido aos negociantes Portuguezes … Segunda Edição mais correcta, e augmentada pelo mesmo author. Tomo Primero.
Second addition, corrected and expanded, of vol. I, first editions of vol. II and the Supplemento. The first volume provides a broad overview of the history of commercial exchange, including present practices. Mendonça states that his intention is to demonstrate the benefits of studying geography, insurance, bills of exchange, foreign currency exchange, and other practical subjects for an aspiring merchant to youths desiring to pursue such a career. The second volume deals more specifically with bookkeeping, providing a detailed exposition on contemporary double-entry bookkeeping practice. He supports his explanation in volume II with numerous and extensive tables demonstrating his principles in practice. The supplement expands mainly on the topics covered in the first volume, discussing further areas of interest for the budding European merchant.