Obadiah Rich
Encyclopedia
Obadiah Rich was an American diplomat, bibliophile and bibliographer
specializing the history of Latin America
. He was credited with making the field of Americana
a recognized field of scholarship by the bibliographer Nicholas Trübner.
, at Truro, Massachusetts
, on November 25, 1777. He was the son of Captain Obadiah Rich (1758–1805) who commanded the brig Intrepid in the American Revolutionary War
and his first wife Salome Lombard (1761–1807). He was the older brother of the botanist William Rich
.
Obadiah Rich was elected to the Massachusetts Historical Society
at the early age of 22, and helped found the Anthology Society
in 1804, which later became the Boston Athenæum
. President James Madison
appointed him American consul
in Valencia, Spain in 1816. He was consul in Madrid
from 1823, and was working full time in the book trade in London by 1830. He was again resident in Madrid
and in Mahon
on the island of Minorca
between 1834 and 1835.
While in Spain, Rich compiled an extensive collection of ancient Spanish and Latin American books and manuscripts, and was part of the circle of Latin America historians and scholars that included George Ticknor
, William H. Prescott
, and Washington Irving
, who researched his 1828 biography of Christopher Columbus
while staying with Rich in Madrid.
Rich wrote A Catalog of Books relating principally to America, arranged under the Years in which they were printed, 1500-1700 (London, 1832); Miscellaneous Catalog of Books in all Languages (1834), and Bibliotheca Americana Nova, or a Catalog of Books in Various Languages, relating to America, printed since the Year 1700 (2 vols., London and New York, Volume I, 1835 and Volume II, 1846).
He died in London in 1850.
in 1848 who subsequently donated them to the New York Public Library
in 1897. The Obadiah Rich Collection is now housed in the Library’s Manuscripts and Archives Division.
This collection contains hundreds of original manuscripts and transcriptions of manuscripts covering the period from Christopher Columbus
's first voyage of 1492 to the last years of the colonial period. The collection contains papers on New Spain
(Mexico
), Peru
and the other Spanish colonies and Brazil
. The collection is documented in the catalog Colonial Latin American Manuscripts and Transcripts in the Obadiah Rich Collection. Among his notable pieces is the only known copy of the first printing of Columbus's announcement of his discovery (Barcelona
, 1493) and "The Brief and Most Concise Christian Doctrine in the Mexican Language" of Juan de Zumarraga
, first bishop of Mexico. This volume is considered to be the first book printed in the Americas. It was printed in an imported press in the Casa de las Campanas
in Mexico City
in 1543, one hundred years before the first book was printed in the English colonies.
Bibliographer
"A bibliographer is a person who describes and lists books and other publications, with particular attention to such characteristics as authorship, publication date, edition, typography, etc. The result of this endeavor is a bibliography...
specializing the history of Latin America
Latin America
Latin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages – particularly Spanish and Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken. Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,500 km² , almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area...
. He was credited with making the field of Americana
Americana
Americana refers to artifacts, or a collection of artifacts, related to the history, geography, folklore and cultural heritage of the United States. Many kinds of material fall within the definition of Americana: paintings, prints and drawings; license plates or entire vehicles, household objects,...
a recognized field of scholarship by the bibliographer Nicholas Trübner.
Life and career
Obadiah Rich was born on Cape CodCape Cod
Cape Cod, often referred to locally as simply the Cape, is a cape in the easternmost portion of the state of Massachusetts, in the Northeastern United States...
, at Truro, Massachusetts
Truro, Massachusetts
Truro is a town in Barnstable County, Massachusetts, United States, comprising two villages: Truro and North Truro. Located two hours outside Boston, it is a summer vacation community just south of the northern tip of Cape Cod, in an area known as the "Outer Cape"...
, on November 25, 1777. He was the son of Captain Obadiah Rich (1758–1805) who commanded the brig Intrepid in the American Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
and his first wife Salome Lombard (1761–1807). He was the older brother of the botanist William Rich
William Rich
Major William Rich was an American botanist and explorer who was part of the United States Exploring Expedition of 1838–1842.William Rich was the youngest son of Captain Obadiah Rich who commanded the brig Intrepid in the American Revolutionary War, and his first wife Salome Lombard...
.
Obadiah Rich was elected to the Massachusetts Historical Society
Massachusetts Historical Society
The Massachusetts Historical Society is a major historical archive specializing in early American, Massachusetts, and New England history...
at the early age of 22, and helped found the Anthology Society
Anthology Club
The Anthology Club, or Anthology Society was organized in 1804 in Boston, Massachusetts by the Rev. William Emerson, father of Ralph Waldo Emerson....
in 1804, which later became the Boston Athenæum
Boston Athenæum
Boston Athenæum is one of the oldest independent libraries in the United States. It is also one of only sixteen extant membership libraries, meaning that patrons pay a yearly subscription fee to use the Athenæum's services...
. President James Madison
James Madison
James Madison, Jr. was an American statesman and political theorist. He was the fourth President of the United States and is hailed as the “Father of the Constitution” for being the primary author of the United States Constitution and at first an opponent of, and then a key author of the United...
appointed him American consul
Consul
Consul was the highest elected office of the Roman Republic and an appointive office under the Empire. The title was also used in other city states and also revived in modern states, notably in the First French Republic...
in Valencia, Spain in 1816. He was consul in Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
from 1823, and was working full time in the book trade in London by 1830. He was again resident in Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
and in Mahon
Mahon
Mahón is a municipality and the capital city of the Balearic Island of Minorca , located in the eastern part of the island. Mahon has the second deepest natural harbor in the world: 5 km long and up to 900m. wide...
on the island of Minorca
Minorca
Min Orca or Menorca is one of the Balearic Islands located in the Mediterranean Sea belonging to Spain. It takes its name from being smaller than the nearby island of Majorca....
between 1834 and 1835.
While in Spain, Rich compiled an extensive collection of ancient Spanish and Latin American books and manuscripts, and was part of the circle of Latin America historians and scholars that included George Ticknor
George Ticknor
George Ticknor was an American academician and Hispanist, specializing in the subject areas of languages and literature. He is known for his scholarly work on the history and criticism of Spanish literature....
, William H. Prescott
William H. Prescott
William Hickling Prescott was an American historian and Hispanist, who is widely recognized by historiographers to have been the first American scientific historian...
, and Washington Irving
Washington Irving
Washington Irving was an American author, essayist, biographer and historian of the early 19th century. He was best known for his short stories "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" and "Rip Van Winkle", both of which appear in his book The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent. His historical works...
, who researched his 1828 biography of Christopher Columbus
Christopher Columbus
Christopher Columbus was an explorer, colonizer, and navigator, born in the Republic of Genoa, in northwestern Italy. Under the auspices of the Catholic Monarchs of Spain, he completed four voyages across the Atlantic Ocean that led to general European awareness of the American continents in the...
while staying with Rich in Madrid.
Rich wrote A Catalog of Books relating principally to America, arranged under the Years in which they were printed, 1500-1700 (London, 1832); Miscellaneous Catalog of Books in all Languages (1834), and Bibliotheca Americana Nova, or a Catalog of Books in Various Languages, relating to America, printed since the Year 1700 (2 vols., London and New York, Volume I, 1835 and Volume II, 1846).
He died in London in 1850.
The collection
Rich's books eventually were acquired by Edward G. Allen of London, and dispersed. A substantial portion were acquired by the American bibliophile James LenoxJames Lenox
James Lenox was an American bibliophile and philanthropist. His collection of paintings and books eventually became known as the Lenox Library and later became part of the New York Public Library in 1895.-Biography:...
in 1848 who subsequently donated them to the New York Public Library
New York Public Library
The New York Public Library is the largest public library in North America and is one of the United States' most significant research libraries...
in 1897. The Obadiah Rich Collection is now housed in the Library’s Manuscripts and Archives Division.
This collection contains hundreds of original manuscripts and transcriptions of manuscripts covering the period from Christopher Columbus
Christopher Columbus
Christopher Columbus was an explorer, colonizer, and navigator, born in the Republic of Genoa, in northwestern Italy. Under the auspices of the Catholic Monarchs of Spain, he completed four voyages across the Atlantic Ocean that led to general European awareness of the American continents in the...
's first voyage of 1492 to the last years of the colonial period. The collection contains papers on New Spain
New Spain
New Spain, formally called the Viceroyalty of New Spain , was a viceroyalty of the Spanish colonial empire, comprising primarily territories in what was known then as 'América Septentrional' or North America. Its capital was Mexico City, formerly Tenochtitlan, capital of the Aztec Empire...
(Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
), Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
and the other Spanish colonies and Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
. The collection is documented in the catalog Colonial Latin American Manuscripts and Transcripts in the Obadiah Rich Collection. Among his notable pieces is the only known copy of the first printing of Columbus's announcement of his discovery (Barcelona
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
, 1493) and "The Brief and Most Concise Christian Doctrine in the Mexican Language" of Juan de Zumarraga
Juan de Zumárraga
Juan de Zumárraga was a Spanish Basque Franciscan prelate and first bishop of Mexico.-Origins and arrival in New Spain:...
, first bishop of Mexico. This volume is considered to be the first book printed in the Americas. It was printed in an imported press in the Casa de las Campanas
House of the First Print Shop in the Americas
The House of the First Print Shop in the Americas at the corner of Moneda and Licenciado Primo Verdad streets in Mexico City was the home of the first printing press/print shop in the New World....
in Mexico City
Mexico City
Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...
in 1543, one hundred years before the first book was printed in the English colonies.