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Jose Toribio Medina

1911 Encyclopedia Britannica

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JOSE TORIBIO MEDINA (1852-), Chilean bibliographer, was born at Santiago, and was educated for the bar. His first publication, when a very young man, was a metrical translation of Longfellow's Evangeline. When twenty-two he was appointed secretary to the legation at Lima. After his return he published a history of Chilean literature (1878), and a work upon the aboriginal tribes (1884). In this latter year he was appointed secretary of legation in Spain, and availed himself of the opportunity of examining the treasures of the old Spanish libraries. These researches, repeated on subsequent visits to Spain, and also to France and England, enriched him with a mass of historical and bibliographical material. Among his publications may be mentioned the Biblioteca hispano-americana, a catalogue of all books and pamphlets relating to Spanish America printed in Spain; the Biblioteca hispano-chilena, a similar work, commenced in 1897; the standard and magnificent history of printing in the La Plata countries (1892); comprehensive works on the Inquisition in Chile, Peru and the Philippines; and the standard treatise on South American medals (1899). In addition, Senor Medina produced the fullest bibliographies yet attainable of books printed at Lima, Mexico and Manila, and a number of memoirs and other minor writings. No other man had rendered anything like the same amount of service to the literary history and bibliography of the Spanish colonies.