Imprenta de Ramírez y Giraudier

A Story of Late Nineteenth-Century Philippine Intellectuality

by LINO L. DIZON
With a foreword by Florentino Rodao 

Series: Academica Filipina +
Copyright © 2023 Vibal Foundation, Inc.
168 pages; 15.24 x 22.86 cm
During the period of intellectual enlightenment that produced the ilustrado movement in the nineteenth century, the press was a vital medium that enabled Filipinos to discuss the state of the country and bring about political action. Pivotal to this era was the publishing firm Imprenta de Ramírez y Giraudier, founded by noted typographer Don Manuel Ramírez y Carvajal and lithographer-artist Baltasar Giraudier y Ortega. The themes and perspectives covered in the books, pamphlets, and other publications produced over nearly three decades of operation—including the influential periodicals Ilustración Filipina, the Revista de Filipinas, and the Diario de Manila—laid the groundwork for what would be the modern field of Philippine studies.

Dr. Lino L. Dizon establishes the foundational influence of the Imprenta de Ramírez y Giraudier on Philippine intellectual history. He further enriches his narrative by including a comprehensive overview of the history of printing and publishing in the Philippines and an authoritative listing of the firm’s many publications. The visionary editor and writer José Felipe Del-Pan stands out among the many eminent figures who worked for the Imprenta, paving the way for the rise of journalism as an engine of social transformation that eventually led to the emergence of the Propaganda Movement and, ultimately, the Philippine Revolution of 1896. 

CONTENTS
Foreword
"A Publishing Firm for a New Nation" by Florentino Rodao, Universidad de Complutense, Madrid
Preface 
The Production of Modern Knowledge in Nineteenth-Century Philippines 
Publishing History in the Philippines before 1858 
Newspaper publishing in the Philippines (1812-1858) 
The Prime Movers of Imprenta de Ramírez y Giraudier 
IRG's pool of writers: From the Boletin and Ilustración Filipina 
Writers from the Diario de Manila 
Writers from the Revista de Filipinas
Imprenta de Ramírez y Giraudier and Its Publications (1858-1888): A Chronological History
Prefatory years (1848-1857): Manuel Ramírez as regente of UST Press
Initial collaboration with Baltasar Giraudier
The founding year
The initial decade
The second decade
The final decade
The End of the Imprenta de Ramírez y Giraudier (1884-1888)
Major Publications of Imprenta de Ramírez y Giraudier 
llustración Filipina, 1859-1860
Revista de Filipinas, 1875-1877 
Diario de Manila, 1860-1899 
Appendix 1 Laminas en palabras: Selections from IRG Publications 
"Reseña Geográfica, Científica, Estadística, Agrícola, Industrial y Mercantil de las Provincias del Archipiélago Filipino"
"Rarezas de Manila"
"Titay La Chichirica" 
"Problemas Historicos" 
Editorial 
Excerpts from Diccionario Humoristico-Filipino 
Appendix 2 Catalog of Publications of Imprenta de Ramírez y Giraudier (1858-1888)
Bibliography
Index
 
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Lino L. Dizon, PhD, is presently a commissioner of the National Historical Commission of the Philippines (2020–2023), an EXECON member of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts National Committee for Historical Research (2020–2022, representing Luzon), and a member of the Technical Panel for History of the Commission on Higher Education. Until his retirement on 1 March 2021, he had been the Dr. Lee Yelick Alex Professor in Social Sciences and a Professor VI (full professor) of Tarlac State University, as well as the head of its Center for Tarlaqueño Studies. He holds a PhD in Philippine studies from the University of the Philippines Diliman.

Prof. Dizon has written more than a score of books on Philippine local history and culture, including Mr. White: A ‘Thomasite’ History of Tarlac Province, 1901–1913; Nascent Philippine Studies on the Life and Labor of José Felipe Del-Pan, 1821–1891; and Photographing Revolutionary Cavite: The Colonial Representation, 1896–1899. He is the co-author of a number of publications, including Cruceiro: Spanish Galicia at Some Crossroads in Philippine History & Culture (1521–1898) and Gloria: Roman Leoncio’s Kapampangan Translation of Huseng Batute’s Verse Novel, Lost and Found, which won the 2004 Philippine National Book Awards for Translation.
He was the recipient of the 2011 UPAA Distinguished Alumni Award in Educational Innovation (for Regional Culture) of the University of the Philippines and a regional finalist of the 2012 Metrobank Search for Outstanding Teachers, Higher Education category.

ABOUT THE SERIES
Academica Filipina+ is an interdisciplinary series that pushes the boundaries of scholarly publishing with smart, literate, and thought-provoking works exploring the Philippine past, present, and future