Vibal Foundation publishes book on the history of print and publishing in the late nineteenth-century Philippines
Vibal Foundation, in partnership with the Miguel de Benavides Library of the University of Santo Tomas, launched Imprenta Ramirez y Giraudier: A Story of Late Nineteenth-Century Philippine Intellectuality, written by historian Lino L. Dizon, PhD, on 29 March 2023 at the Ground Floor of the Central Library building, UST Miguel de Benavides Library in España, Manila.
This book provides an insight on how the establishment of the influential publishing firm Imprenta Ramirez y Giraudier (IRG)—through the efforts of its founding partners, Don Manuel Ramirez y Carvajal and Balthazar Giraudier y Ortega, and its visionary editor and writer, Jose Felipe del Pan—became one of the crucial engines of Spanish-speaking society during the late nineteenth-century colonial Philippines. The publication of its newspapers, novels, magazines, and journals paved the way for the birth of important social movements such as the ilustrado class, the Propaganda movement, and ultimately, the Philippine Revolution.
Aside from laying out the foundational influence of the Imprenta de Ramírez y Giraudier, Dr. Dizon also gave an overview of the history of print and publishing in the Philippines and an authoritative listing of the firm’s many publications.
According to Marya Svetlana T. Camacho of the History Department of the University of Asia and the Pacific, “this book provides context and substance for an examination of modernity in the nineteenth-century Philippines.”
“It shows the role of publishing in the so-called Philippine Renaissance, and in turn how the latter served as a stimulus to the development of the Filipino conception of nation. Lino Dizon has filled in a gap in our knowledge of cultural life in the Spanish colonial Philippines, made even more accessible by the sample writings from periodical publications and the catalog of publications,” Camacho continues.
The launch also paid tribute to UST Press, the second oldest press in the world that is still operational, next to Cambridge University Press. Don Manuel Ramirez served as regente or director of the UST Press from 1848 to 1857, before collaborating with Baltasar Giraudier at the IRG. Under his helm, he modernized the Dominican press when he acquired a sophisticated machine from Germany and has published several books including Fr. Antonio Llanos’ Fragmentos de algunas plantas de Filipinas no incluidas en la Flora de las Islas, de la 1a. ni 2a. edición (1851), a sequel to the classic Flora de Filipinas (1837) by Fr. Manuel Blanco.
Imprenta Ramirez y Giraudier: A Story of Late Nineteenth Century Philippine Intellectuality is part of the Academica Filipina+ series. The interdisciplinary series pushes the boundaries of scholarly publishing with smart and thought-provoking works that explore the Philippine past and present. Other titles in the series include More Hispanic Than We Admit 1 to 3; More Tsinoy Than We Admit; More American Than We Admit; More Tomboy, More Bakla Than We Admit; Sisa’s Vengeance; The World of Manila-Acapulco Galleons; Santo Niño de Cebú 1565–2015; Salungat: A Soledad S. Reyes Reader; Púgot: Head Taking, Ritual Cannibalism, and Human Sacrifice in the Philippines; and the recently launched titles, Philippine Genealogy and Art History: The Luciano P. R. Santiago Reader; Bullfighting in the Philippines: 1602–2022; More Cebuano Than We Admit: Aspects of Cebuano History, Culture, and Society; Boxer Codex, Second Edition; and Children of War.
Available in hardcover and softcover editions, the books may be purchased online at Vibal Shop (https://shop.vibalgroup.com), Shopee, Lazada, GrabMart, and Amazon. For bulk orders, please contact marketing@vibalgroup.com.