Recent Mexican Study of the Native, Languages of Mexico (Classic Reprint)

Excerpt from Recent Mexican Study of the Native, Languages of Mexico<br><br>Everyone is more or less familiar with the fact that there are many old books printed in Aztec and the other native languages of Mexico. Some of the oldest and rarest of American prints are among these. In 1866 the eminent Jos Garcia Icazbalceta, so careful as an historian and so diligent as a bibliographer, prepared a preliminary work upon these curious books under the title, Apuntes para un catalogo de escritores en lenguas indigenas de America (Notes for a catalogue of writers in the native languages of America). The work is the rarest of Icazbalceta's publications; preliminary to a fuller treatment and a help to special students, it can hardly be said to have been issued to the public. No copies were sold. The author says in his preface: "But it has not, on this account, lost its original character. The sixty examples which I have printed with my own hands are no more than so many other copies of the manuscript. None will be sold because proof-sheets ought not to be placed on sale; all will be distributed to whoever can improve the work, enriching it with additions. Persons who find themselves in such a position and who care for a copy may direct themselves to me or to Messrs. Trbner & Co., in London." In this catalogue Icazbalceta enumerates and describes two hundred and fourteen works, most of which are printed books in or upon Mexican languages.<br><br>Few persons, however, are aware that books are still printed in Mexican languages. Nor are our students generally acquainted with, or appreciative of, the study that is being given by Mexican students to these languages.<br><br>About the Publisher<br><br>Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com<br><br>This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.