The Hispanic Society of America’s renowned library offers unrivaled resources for researchers interested in the history and culture of Spain, Portugal, and the Americas. The collections of the Department of Manuscripts and Rare Books are among the most extensive outside Spain, containing more than 250,000 manuscripts, documents, and letters dating from the 11th to 20th centuries, along with 30,000 books printed before 1830, which include some 250 incunabula (books printed before 1500). In addition to rare books, the Hispanic Society maintains a modern research library on the literature, fine arts, geography, history, and cultures of Spain, Portugal, Latin America, and the Philippines, now comprising over 300,000 volumes plus 1,500 periodicals dating from the 19th century up to the present.

The library conserves one of the largest and most important collections of 16th through 19th century Latin American and Philippine historical manuscripts and documents in the United States. Manuscripts related to the indigenous civilizations and the natural history of the Americas comprise another major facet of the collection. The incunabula from these regions consist largely of catechisms and dictionaries in the indigenous languages, or other didactic works.

Contact: library@hispanicsociety.org