(Re)writing the history of the library of The Botica Vieja: intra-history and personal writings of the Jesús Fernández Ejado collection of the General Historical Library of the University of Salamanca (18th-19th centuries)

Abstract

Between 1996 and 2008, Jesús Fernández Ejado, a retired pharmacist from Frómista (Palencia) decided to make a donation of his personal library called “La Botica Vieja” to the University of Salamanca. This bibliographical collection started in 1741 has been passed from generation to generation through the different members of the family, apothecaries by profession. In the absence of contemporary inventories that allow us to know the intra-history of said fund through its owners, this work aims to be a first starting point for knowledge of its management and creation through the handwritten annotations collected in each of its books. In this way, we will delve into the history of the Rebolledo family during the first century of the fund's life, tracing a journey through the written memory messages that have survived to this day.