Doctrina Christiana / The first book printed in the Philippines, Manila, 1593.

Metadata

Gutenberg ID

16119

Title

Doctrina Christiana / The first book printed in the Philippines, Manila, 1593.

Language

en

Book source

Project Gutenberg

Description max 80 words

This 1593 facsimile presents the Doctrina Christiana, the first book printed in the Philippines. Edited by Edwin Wolf 2nd, it details the physical history of this rare incunabulum, its xylographic production, and its role in early Catholic missionary work among Tagalog and Chinese communities.

Summary up to 500 words

The *Doctrina Christiana*, printed in Manila in 1593, stands as the first book produced in the Philippines. This volume serves as a comprehensive bibliographical detective story, examining the sole surviving copy held by the Library of Congress within the Lessing J. Rosenwald Collection. The text details the physical attributes of this fragile artifact, noting its dimensions, wood-block printing method, and distinctive rice paper. This material, often called 'silk' or 'China' paper, was prone to rapid decay due to the humid climate, native insects, and the oxidizing effects of alum used in its manufacture, turning the pages from bone-white to dark cinnamon over centuries. The book's history traces from its creation under the supervision of Dominican missionaries Domingo de Nieva and Juan de San Pedro Martyr to its eventual acquisition by collector Lessing J. Rosenwald. The narrative highlights the immense challenges of early printing in the archipelago, including the scarcity of imprints caused by destruction from fire, war, earthquakes, and natural decay. Two major fires in 1603 alone consumed vast amounts of early records. As a fundamental handbook for converting indigenous peoples, the *Doctrina Christiana* presents the essential tenets of the Catholic Church in Spanish, Tagalog transliterated into Roman letters, and Tagalog in native characters. Its contents include prayers like the Pater Noster and Ave Maria, the Credo, the Ten Commandments, and catechism questions. The work represents a unique linguistic and cultural intersection, edited by priests of various orders and likely utilizing models from Mexico and Goa. The discovery of this facsimile is vital for understanding the establishment of printing in the Philippines, preserving a history that would otherwise have been lost to time and destruction.

LLM editorial rating

4.5/5

Download URL

https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/16119.epub.noimages

Local file path

data/epubs/pg16119.epub

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Categories

• Classics
• Religion
• Tagalog Language