Greek and Latin Classics in the "Biblioteca Universal" collection of Joaquín Pi y Margall (I)

Abstract

This work is part of the study of the dissemination of Greek and Latin classics through translations published in Spanish collections in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. It focuses on the Biblioteca Universal, a collection created by Joaquín Pi y Margall, and describes the collection’s main characteristics and those of the classic authors’ volumes contained in that collection. The Biblioteca Universal has peculiar characteristics that make it a representative example of a certain type of dissemination, directed at the general public by maintaining a very affordable price. The volumes published in it therefore achieved a wide circulation, not only among the general public but also among the intellectuals of the time. In the first part of the paper we describe the general characteristics of the collection and the translations published by Ángel Lasso de la Vega.