La Espada de Holofernes [caption title]

Bogotá: Impr. de Bruno Espinosa, por José Ayarza, 1830. About very good.. 104pp., in thirteen parts (of nineteen?). Loose fascicles, cut but untrimmed. Later, small ownership ink stamps on each part. Some wear at edges. Moderate dust soiling and toning. A fascinating publication in parts, comprising a defense of Catholicism as a political entity within the state, and incorporating arguments and quotations concerning religion from Voltaire, Rousseau, Bolingbroke, Monesquieu, and many others throughout this complex and reasoned apology. According to the publisher's note, "Todo lo que dirémos en el presente Periódico es estractado de una obra anónima, publicada en Francia." The actual author, Francisco Margallo y Duquesne was a Jesuit priest in Bogotá most famous for predicting an earthquake in 1827. This cohesive work, published in the guise of a periodical, is incorrectly asserted by Palau to comprise only the present thirteen parts. He clearly saw just this copy, which bears the ink stamps of Colombian bibliographer Eduardo Posada. The only copy located by OCLC, at the Pontifical University of Bogotá, has 154pp., and contains a further six issues, with the whole being published weekly or semiweekly from January 28 to July 29, 1830. This group runs from January 28 to May 6 in thirteen parts of 8pp. each; a more complete and cohesive set than this example, however, is unlikely to be forthcoming.