Recopilacion de leyes de los reynos de las Indias. Mandadas imprimir y publicar por la Magestad Católica del rey Don Carlos II, nuestro señor: va dividida en quatro tomos, con el indice general, y al principio de cada tomo el indice especial de los titulos, que contiene. [Four Volumes]

Madrid: Antonio Balbas, 1756. Segunda edicion. Full contemporary vellum with manuscript titles on spines, ties. Very good copies, some minor wear and rubbing at the edges, slight loss top corner of volume III, vellum soiled, occasional but minor dampstain at the edge, title leaves repaired at lower fore corners, private library stamp of owner on endpapers, occasional tick mark in text.. [6], 299; [3], 298; [3], 302; [2], 364 leaves. Illus. with title page vignettes of the royal coat of arms of Charles II by Juan de la Peña. Folio. "Initiated by order of the Council of the Indies in 1624, [Recopilacion de leyes de los reynos de las Indias] tried to systematize laws promulgated since Columbus's exploration of the New World. Antonio de León Pinelo was the principal author of the work, but Juan de Solórzano Pereira's contribution in settling the final form of the collection also deserves recognition. The draft was completed in 1636, but several successive financial crises prevented its publication for decades. Finally, 3,300 copies were printed in 1681. In addition to organizing more than eleven thousand laws for imperial officials, the Recopilación, in D. A. Brading's words, 'demonstrated the justice and legitimacy of Spanish rule in the New World'."

"The Recopilación consists of nine parts (libros) which ordered legislation related to the following major topics: the church, clerics, educational institutions, and publishing (I); councils, audiencias, and related staff associated with the provision of justice (II); viceroys, presidents, the military, and lesser offices (III); discovery, conquest, settlement, local government and services, and mines and commerce (IV); district administration, the supervision of the medical profession, judicial procedures, residencias (V); the native population and its treatment and financial and labor obligations, encomiendas and repartimientos (VI); special investigations, the black and mulatto population, jails and judicial sentences (VII); taxes and their collection, the sale of offices, treasury and accounting offices and their responsibilities (VIII); the House of Trade, oversight of trade to and from the Indies, naval personnel, travel and travelers to and from the Indies, the merchant guilds of Mexico City and Lima (IX). Fortunately, the Recopilación contains a detailed index."

"Described by Clarence H. Haring as 'one of the most humane, and one of the most comprehensive, codes published for any colonial empire,' the Recopilación contains legislation that illuminates much of the colonies' institutional structure and procedure. Nearly all of its prescriptions should, however, be read as statements of good intentions rather than actual statutes that were enforced." (Mark Burkholder in "Encyclopedia of Latin American History and Culture," New York: Scribner's, 1996: Vol. 4, pp. 545-5).

This second edition appeared in 1756 and was followed by three more: 1774, 1794, and the fifth and last, in 1841. Sabin 68387. Palau 137462 & 252517. Medina BHA 3763. See Brunet IV, col. 1138. Leclerc 2920 (3rd ed.). See Harisse p. 395n.