"The Sanz Sueltas: A Descriptive, Analytical Catalogue," by Karl C. Gregg
This book was the 2004 winner of the Premio Nacional de Bibliografíade la Biblioteca Nacional.
Foreword by Karl C. Gregg:
As used in this catalogue, the term suelta refers to a separately printed dramatic work, in quarto format, usually of four gatherings, sewn, and almost always unbound. Fairly common in the 17th century, they are the format of choice for plays in the 18th until replaced by octavo editions in the 19th.
My interest in the suelta derives from an all-too-brief conversation with Edward M. Wilson in the spring of 1968. Shortly thereafter I came across the catalogue of the University of North Carolina suelta collection. Examining this and the other catalogues that I have encountered since, I realized that despite the labors of my colleagues, despite the value of their contributions to our knowledge of sueltas, there still remained questions to be answered. I remember clearly my curiosity, and frustration, each time I would see a copy of one suelta described as similar to, but slightly differing from, another copy of the (supposedly) same suelta—difference(s) not noted. While preparing my indexes of the London Library and Biblioteca de Palacio collections, it became obvious that on many occasions these ‘differences’ were more often major than slight. The separate reconstructions of the Orga catalogue of printed sueltas by Warren McCready and Jaime Moll Roqueta suggested to me that the road to more accurate and useful suelta identification is through the study of their printers rather than of general collections. I decided to work with the Sanz family of printers because there were clear and obvious discrepancies in existing bibliographical descriptions of their sueltas. My examination of the Sanz sueltas began in August, 1985, and I called a halt to my search for new sueltas in July, 1993 in order to begin analyzing my data. There are still more Sanz sueltas to be uncovered, and I hope that my colleagues will let me know about them as they come to light. I do trust that—however incomplete—my description and analysis will be of value to those interested in the study, identification, and cataloguing of the suelta.
ISBN 978-1-58871-218-9 (HB, 8½" x 11") $90