To summarize what we have learned of the earliest printing in the
Philippines: we have the possibility, but not a likely one, that
an _Arte_ by Juan de Quiñones was printed xylographically in 1581;
we know that in the first half of the year 1593 two Doctrinas were
printed xylographically--although we have no way of telling which
came first--one in Tagalog from the Talavera-Plasencia-Oliver text,
and one in Chinese written by Juan Cobo, both edited and printed under
the supervision of Domingo de Nieva and Juan de San Pedro Martyr;
we surmise that between 1593 and 1602 other works were also printed
xylographically, such as the small tracts of Juan de Villanueva and
some of the books of Blancas de San José, Nieva and others; and in
1602 was printed by Juan de Vera, in all likelihood from movable
type, the book of Our Lady of the Rosary by Blancas de San José. The
known facts are not many, and we can only hope that time and further
research will discover new ones to make the history of the earliest
Philippine imprints more complete and more satisfactory.


Philadelphia, January 20, 1947 EDWIN WOLF 2ND.








The most frequently cited authorities will be referred to as follows:

ADUARTE--Diego Aduarte, _Historia de la Provincia del Sancto Rosario de