News & Updates
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Washington State University Sueltas Added to the Database
DateJune 10, 2025CategoryCollection update, UpdatesEighteen comedias from Washington State University’s Special Collections and Holland and Terrell Libraries have been uploaded to the database. Each record is accompanied by images of their first and last pages.
❦ View Washington State University’s collection of sueltas
Notably, two of the sueltas are editions not previously documented in our database. These are listed below.
- Comedia española, original y nueva, La pastora más constante y pastor duque de Alañía. Madrid : En la Imprenta Real. 1787.
- Los dioses reunidos, o la fiesta de las musas: Prólogo, y El tutor enamorado: comedia en dos actos y en verso, con arias. Madrid : En la Imprenta de D. Antonio Muñoz del Valle, 1764
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Harvard University Sueltas Added to the Database
DateJune 4, 2025CategoryCollection update, UpdatesThe majority of Harvard University’s collection of sueltas has now been added to the database. A total of 661 plays are currently accessible, with several dozen still to be uploaded.
❦ Explore the Harvard University Comedias Sueltas Collection
El baluarte de España (*88D-71) -
University of Maryland Sueltas Added to the Database
DateMay 23, 2025CategoryCollection update, UpdatesThe collection of sueltas from the University of Maryland has been partially uploaded, with 1,462 items currently accessible to the public and approximately 100 remaining to be photographed.
❦ Explore the University of Maryland’s Comedias Sueltas Collection
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Vanderbilt University Sueltas Added to the Database
DateApril 30, 2025CategoryCollection update, UpdatesA total of 32 sueltas from the Special Collections and University Archives Library at Vanderbilt University have been added to the database, each accompanied by images of their first and last pages.
Vanderbilt Collection of Spanish Plays
Notably, five of the sueltas are editions not previously documented in our database; they are listed below.
- Asombro de Turquía, y valiente toledano
[Madrid] : En Casa de Manuel Sanz, en la Calle de Gorguera. [between 1728 and 1740] - Atila azote de Dios
[Sevilla] : Viuda de Francisco Lorenzo de Hermosilla, [between 1728 and 1739] - Cerco de Roma por el rey Desiderio
[Madrid] : Imprenta de Juan Sanz. [between 1715 and 1726] - Reinar después de morir
En Madrid : Por Juan Sanz. [between 1715 and 1726] - Renegado Zanaga
[Madrid] : Imprenta de los Herederos de Juan Sanz. [between 1726 and 1728?]
- Asombro de Turquía, y valiente toledano
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Translations from Foreign Languages
DateMarch 7, 2025CategoryUpdatesA significant percentage of the comedias sueltas in the database consists of translations from French and Italian plays. The list of French translations, which identifies titles that were translated or adapted into Spanish, has been available for several months: Translations from Foreign Literatures
We have just added a list of works translated from Italian to Spanish, many of which are octavos featuring text in Italian and Spanish on facing pages.
Still to come is a small selection of plays translated from other languages, including English, German, Greek, and Portuguese. Additionally, we are compiling a list of plays that transitioned through two languages before being translated into Spanish.
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Queens College Digitization of Early and Unique Spanish Plays
DateFebruary 28, 2025CategoryCollection update, UpdatesQueens College, CUNY, has digitized 15 early and unique editions of plays from its collection. Links to the electronic copies of each play have been added to their corresponding database records.
- Aníbal
- Despreciar lo que se quiere
- El animal propheta, y dichoso parricida, San Julián
- El asombro de la Francia, Marta la Romarantina (4a pte.)
- El casamiento en la muerte, y hechos de Bernardo del Carpio
- El celoso don Lesmes
- El muerto resucitado
- Herodes Ascalonita y la hermosa Mariana
- La cena del rey Baltasar
- Las cárceles de Lemberg
- Los áspides de Cleopatra
- Obligados, y ofendidos, y gorrón de Salamanca
- San Julián penitente en el desierto
- Un bobo hace ciento
- Victorioso Josué
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Stanford University Sueltas Added to the Database
DateFebruary 26, 2025CategoryCollection update, UpdatesStanford University’s Special Collections’ small number of comedias sueltas has been added to the database, complete with images of the first and last pages.
Below is a list of the newly added titles along with their access link. Unique/early plays are indicated with an asterisk.
- Antes que te cases mira lo que haces, y examen de maridos*
En Barcelona: Por Sebastian de Cormellas, 1634. - La Celmira*
Sevilla: Imprenta Real, 1828. - Cuauhtémoc*
París: En la imprenta y fundición de J. Pinard, [1827]. - Elena y Malvina
Madrid: Imprenta de I. Sancha, 1829. - Rafael del Riego*
Filadelfia: En la Imprenta de Stavely & Bringhurst, No. 70, South Third Street, 1824. - El Tancredo
Madrid: Imprenta de la Minerva Española, 1822
Notably, three of the plays marked with asterisks are in editions that were previously unrecorded in our database. Cuauhtémoc is included for the first time, further enhancing our growing collection of ejemplares.
- Antes que te cases mira lo que haces, y examen de maridos*
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Now on Internet Archive: Comedias Collector
DateFebruary 20, 2025CategoryUpdates
More than 55 early, unique, or bilingual sueltas have been uploaded to Internet Archive by Comedias Collector. -
University of Chicago Digitization of Early and Unique Spanish plays
DateFebruary 11, 2025CategoryCollection update, UpdatesThe University of Chicago Special Collections Library has digitized 10 of its early or unique plays, which may differ from other editions. These plays have been added to our database records, and for your convenience, a list is provided below:
- Entremés el alcalde Pedro Cucho.
- El arco de paz del cielo, Sta. Barbara. Comedia famosa.
- Clelia triumfante en Roma : comedia heroica.
- Auto al nacimiento de Christo nuestro señor, intitulado: El sol a media noche, y Estrellas a medio día
- El lego del carmen San Franco de Sena. : Comedia famosa.
- Entremes del Niño de la Rollona
- Entremes de trvllo añadido.
- Entremes de los Muertos vivos.
- Entremes de la campanilla.
- Entremes del maestro de niños.
A special thanks to Special Collections Metadata Librarian Rebecca Flore for helping make the digitization of these plays possible.
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A Broadside Announcing the Publication of a Play
DateFebruary 6, 2025CategoryNew discovery
This broadside from 1822 came to light among bookdealers’ archival materials being catalogued in the collections of the Hispanic Society Museum & Library. It is unusual, because it is not advertising the performance of the play; it is advertising the sale of the printed play. Ada M. Coe the foremost scholar on the subject of carteleras teatrales compiled two comprehensive volumes that announced performances, but so far no other cartel has been found to advertise the printed play for sale. Unfortunately, we have not been able to locate a copy of this title to date; the BNE lists one other work by Carlos Bosch y Mata.