May 21, 2010
Printed 1872: The First Guide-Book to New York for Spanish Speakers.
With Map. Exceedingly Rare. Only 1 other Copy recorded by Worldcat
The Book:
Guia de la ciudad de Nueva York. Nueva York : N. Ponce de Leon, 1872. Description: viii, 236, 20, 4 p., plates : map ; 23 p. of advertising at end of book. . 8vo., 17 cm. Original contemporary stamped cloth, stained, textblock loose, some chipping as depicted to head of spine. Overall, a good and complete copy of an important cultural relic.
Néstor Ponce de Leon was the most important publisher of books and pamphlets advancing the revolutionary cause. Ponce de Leon edited liberal magazines and newspapers in Cuba before becoming persecuted. He was pursued by the colonial police, who had found weapons in his house, though he managed to embark for the United States in February 1869 and went into political exile. This exceedingly rare guidebook to New York , that he compiled and published, is the first guidebook printed for New York’s Spanish speaking community.
Worldcat cites only 1 other recorded copy in the New York Historical Society.
