Collection of 157 autograph letters signed, on 311 leaves (all substantive, all apparently unpublished) to Francisco António Rodrigues de Gusmão, written from April 18, 1856 to February 5, 1865. On paper, in Portuguese.

157 letters. Mostly folio (ca. 29 x 21 cm., a few slightly smaller, a few 8º), first 120 letters bound together in nineteenth-century quarter dark green straight-grained morocco over marbled boards (minor wear to corners, edges), smooth spine with gilt bands and "Cartas de I.F.S." (probably bound by the recipient, Rodrigues de Gusmão); remaining 37 letters laid in at the end. Written in ink, in an even, fairly legible hand. Light browning, but not at all fragile. Some letters include the cover, from which the postage stamp is excised, with occasional loss of a few words when the cover is on the verso of a page of text. In very good condition. A penciled note on the front flyleaf by the son of Rodrigues de Gusmão, dated 10 August 1888, reads: "Colleção de Cartas dirigidas por Innocêncio Francisco da Silva, ed. do Dicc. Bibliographico Portuguez, ao seu amigo Francisco Antonio Rodrigues de Gusmão, A. de varias obras, Socio da Academia Real das Sciencias, etc. Lancei aqui este apontamento no 10 de Agosto de 1888. F.A. Rodrigues de Gusmão (filho)." Most letters are 3-4 pages in length. *** An important, apparently unpublished source for Portuguese bibliography and bibliophily. We have found no other collections of letters by Innocêncio, in manuscript or in print other than those to Teofilo Braga which appeared in Braga's Quarenta annos da vida litteraria, pp. 1-17.Innocêncio Francisco da Silva (1810-1876) was the author of the first nine volumes of the great bio-bibliographical dictionary Dicionário bibliográfico português, 1858-1870 (often cited as "Innocêncio"). It has twice been reprinted and remains - a century and a half after volume I appeared - a standard and indispensable reference work. Innocêncio ranks with Brunet, Graesse, Salvá, and Sabin as one of the foremost bibliographers of the nineteenth century. His annotations regarding the scholarly and commercial value of the books listed have rarely been surpassed, and his range of knowledge is vast and detailed.Hundreds of times in the Dicionário, Innocêncio cites works from the library of his friend Francisco António Rodrigues Gusmão, or information provided by him. Rodrigues de Gusmão (1815-1888), a physician and writer born in Carvalhal (Viseu), who held many minor government posts, made copious contributions to contemporary periodicals such as A Nação, and published numerous works on medicine and bibliography. In his Dicionário entry for Rodrigues Gusmão, Innocêncio wrote, "Eu seria com justiça tachado de ingrato se deixasse de comemorar aqui o muito que devo à sua prestante e incansável coadjuvação, mormente no que diz respeito aos copiosos e valiosos subsídios com que tem concorrido para preencher e ampliar esta obra, sendo obtidas por ele directamente, ou por sua intervenção, boa parte das indicações biográficas relativas a muitos escritores provincianos contemporâneos, além de outras espécies, a que já tive e continuarei a ter ocasião de aludir em diferentes artigos do Dicionário."The correspondence in this collection begins with a formal letter to Rodrigues Gusmão asking for his assistance in gaining funding for the Dicionário, and then moves on to extensive discussions of bibliographical and biographical points. In every single letter Innocêncio discusses book-related topics, including prices of rare books, comments of other bibliographers, collations, contemporary periodicals, his work on the Dicionário, and the development of his own remarkable library. Occasionally, as the two men become closer friends, he gives details about his own health and the news of the day. On 9 November 1857, for example, after several letters mentioning the "epidemia" (yellow fever?) in Lisbon, he mentions that one of its lamentable side effects is that the publication of the Dicionário is "paralysado" - and indeed, volume I did not appear until 1858. The comments throughout on the progress of the Dicionário and the difficulties of getting it through the press are fascinating.Here is a sample of five letters, chosen at random, with most but not all of the contents of each:1. 23 Sept. 1857: Innocêncio answers a query about Manuel Joaquim Henriques de Paiva (37 lines, about a page), referring to his sources, and asks for information on Joaquim Ignacio de Seixas Brandão (7 lines).2. 21 March 1858: query on Agosto de Mendes Falcão (10 lines); further information on Manuel Bernardes (37 lines).3. 4 Dec. 1859: apologizes for not answering Rodrigues de Gusmão's last three letters promptly, due to the pressure of his work: "vejo-me ás vezes em circumstancias que pouco falta para dar parte de morto, ou ir buscar pousada em Rilhafoles." Notes that today he wrote 4-5 pages for the Dicionário, proofed a quire, and started answering the 32 letters on his desk. Comments on the quality of the research being submitted to the Instituto de Coimbra and the Academia das Ciencias (1.5 pp.). Discusses and disputes the corrections sent by Rodrigues de Gusmão and asks for further information on Vieira's Obras, the Constituições de Évora, etc. (1 p.). Discusses a commentary on the Dicionário which was to be published by Athenêo, but needed revision.4. 13 Aug. 1862: comments on the difficulty of acquiring some Portuguese periodicals recently out of print, and their prices on the market (half a page). Notes that he worked yesterday on the Dicionário until 3 or 4 a.m., and produced over 20 pages (8 lines). Gives Rodrigues de Gusmão an accounting of payments due for periodicals (18 lines). Asks for Rodrigues de Gusmão's comments and corrections on a volume of the Dicionário that has to be completed by 4 or 5 September. Notes that a portrait of himself for use in the Dicionário had been done in Paris, but it doesn't look like him (everyone agrees that the nose and ears are wrong), so Innocêncio plans to have a photograph taken (11 lines).5. 1 Jan. 1864: he has chilblains so severe that one finger is almost useless (11 lines). He appraised the libraries of José Bento Pereira and Castello Branco, and was told by the families that they were worth much more than his appraisal (1 p.). He appraised the libraries of the extinct convents, held by the Biblioteca Nacional, which after 30 years were about to be dispersed, and gives Rodrigues de Gusmão a list of some authors included (1 p.). For all this he received "alguns milhares," and was able to purchase some books for his own collection (7 lines). He finally found a copy of Nicolas António's Bibliotheca Hispanica, which he hopes to use in the Supplement to the Dicionário, if one is published (4 lines). He is hoping to be granted a certain position, but it is assigned by government committee and will probably go to "o mais incapaz de todos" of the dozen or so applicants (10 lines).*** On Innocêncio, see Grande enciclopédia XXVIII, 795-7 and Dicionário bibliográfico português III, 220, 443; VII, 116, 148; X, 66. On Rodrigues Gusmão, see Grande enciclopédia XII, 929 and Innocêncio II, 343; IX, 258, 448; XVII, 360, 393. For letters from Innocêncio to Teófilo Braga, see Braga's Quarenta annos da vida litteraria, 1902 [i.e., 1903], pp. 1-17; see also Teófilo Braga e Inocêncio Francisco da Silva: correspondência trocada entreo historiador e o bibliógrafo da literatura portuguesa, 1928.