book tips
Following, some books for those who collect rare documents or who simply want to enrich their knowledge of History - Brazilian and world - in an original way.
CINQ SIECLES SUR PAPIER, by Pedro Corrêa do Lago | In French or in English with the title "True to the Letter". 2004. 287 pages. Editions of La Martiniere.
My bible , the reference book for collectors of rare and historical documents . In "Five centuries on paper", Pedro Corrêa do Lago presents his collection of letters, manuscripts, drawings, autographs, signed photographs, etc... The documents presented in this book reveal many unknown episodes in the lives of the greatest characters of the last five centuries. There are 400 exceptional pieces, described, one by one, in a simple way, with many unknown and surprising details . The best history book I've ever read. Pedro Corrêa do Lago was born in Rio de Janeiro, in 1958. Coming from a family of diplomats, he graduated in economics. A passionate amateur, he formed, from 1970 onwards, one of the best collections of autographs and manuscripts in the world. In 2003 he was named president of the National Library of Brazil. 
BRAZILIAN AUTOGRAPH DOCUMENTS, by Pedro Corrêa do Lago | In Portuguese. 1997. 191 pages. Salamander edition.
This book, the only book written in Portuguese, is a selection of 200 autographs from Pedro Corrêa do Lago's collection, all related to the history of Brazil. The famous collector describes each document, from the kings of Portugal to the most recent rulers, writers, artists, athletes, distinguished visitors : a very interesting journey into the history and culture of Brazil.
LETTRES ET MANUSCRITS, petits et grands secrets | In French. 2010. 303 pages. Editions Flammarion.
This book features over 150 documents signed by famous names in history, science, literature, the arts, or music. The book invites you to an adventure in the privacy of the great men from the Hundred Years' War to the present day. This treasure was discovered and collected by teams from the Museum of Letters and Manuscripts (MLM) in Paris who travel the world in search of lost or forgotten originals.
LES AUTOGRAPHES, by Alain Nicolas | In French. 1988. 372 pages. Editions Maisonneuve & Larose.
This very practical manual was written by the great Parisian bookseller Alain Nicolas, assisted by a team of experts. The book explains why collecting rare documents is a useful passion for knowledge and research, why it's a great investment, how to build a collection, and how to conserve your collection. We also learned to recognize the signature of famous personalities and to detect false documents. A reference.
ILLUSTRATED BIOGRAPHIC DICTIONARY OF PERSONALITIES IN THE HISTORY OF BRAZIL, by George Ermakoff | In Portuguese. 2012. 1349 pages. G. Ermakoff Casa Editorial.
The present volume brings about three thousand biographical entries of Brazilian personalities, from the discovery to the present day. They became famous in areas such as literature, journalism, law, medicine, engineering and architecture, geography, history, politics, photography, cinema, theater, music, science, etc. An indispensable book for every collector passionate about Brazilian culture.
BRASILIANA ITAÚ, by Pedro Corrêa Do Lago | In Portuguese. 2009. 707 pages. Capybara Publisher.
A collection formed by Olavo Setubal, responsible for the growth and expansion of Banco Itaú, Brasiliana Itaú is undoubtedly the widest and most significant collection of Brazilian historical and visual memory formed in the country in recent decades. It contains more than 5000 iconographic pieces and thousands of books, documents and maps that portray and reveal Brazil and its culture. A trip back in time for all the curious.
CATALOG OF SIGNATURES FROM BRAZIL, by Peter Meyer | In Portuguese. 2013. 136 pages. RHM Publisher.
Philately is not limited to collecting isolated stamps. We cannot forget that stamps carried a message and that in some cases the senders or recipients were important people. For the first time in Brazil, a specialist in philately presents a catalog of signatures with up-to-date quotations from the market for letters and documents signed by great Brazilian personalities.
A HISTORY OF BRAZIL IN MANUSCRIPTS, by José Augusto Bezerra | In Portuguese and English. 2012. 240 pages. Ceará Institute.
José Agusto Bezerra, a renowned Brazilian bibliophile, collected and preserved exceptional documents about the history and culture of Brazil throughout his life. In this very beautiful book, in 50 chapters between 1500 and 1889, he presents his collection whose documents were almost all unknown. A valuable work for the curious and collectors.
THE 19TH CENTURY IN LATIN AMERICAN DOCUMENTS, by Pedro Corrêa do Lago | In Portuguese and Spanish. 2003. 252 pages. Capybara Publisher.
Pedro Corrêa do Lago, President of the National Library and a great collector, presents to the public 130 important historical documents from Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Cuba, Ecuador, Haiti, Mexico, Paraguay , Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela. Another excellent book by this author, world reference, for history lovers or collectors wanting to diversify their collections.
The magazine PLUME, from the former Musée des Lettres et Manuscrits, in Paris | In French, four issues per year. 96 pages.
Created in 1994 and until 2015 a reference for collectors of French autograph documents, Plume magazine was a luxurious quarterly publication that interested all lovers of history, literature, arts, music, science, etc. With this magazine, you could travel back in time and deepen your knowledge, or discover countless great historical personalities, private and public collections, legendary collectors, museums, libraries, exhibitions, fairs, conferences, etc.
EXTRAORDINARY LETTERS by Shaun Usher | In Portuguese, translated from English. 2014. 367 pages. Companhia das Letras publishing house.
Shaun Usher is an American expert, creator of the website www.lettersofnote.com . He sifted through historical and anonymous correspondence and selected 125 fascinating letters, with very interesting transcriptions and historical explanations: Albert Einstein, Amelia Earhart, Anaïs Nin, Charles Darwin, Charles Dickens, Charles M. Schultz, Queen Elizabeth II, Elvis Presley, Emily Dickinson , Fidel Castro, Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Groucho Marx, Iggy Pop, John F. Kennedy, Katharine Hepburn, Leonardo da Vinci, Louis Armstrong, Mark Twain, Mick Jagger, Oscar Wilde, Roald Dahl, Steve Martin, Virginia Woolf, Zelda Fitzgerald and many more others. Two A great book despite the selection being very "North American" and with few images of the original cards.
LETTERS FROM HUMANITY, by Márcio Borges | In Portuguese. 2014. 468 pages. Generation Publisher.
In cuneiform characters, parchment, various papers, e-mails, from the most remote ancient deserts to the most populated contemporary metropolises, humanity has been exchanging letters and leaving messages, not knowing whether they will last or not, with the resources available. This book is an impressive compilation of those documents. Going through religions, arts, sciences, famous novels, declarations of great kings, statesmen and presidents, conflicts, palace intrigues, foreshadowings of coups d'état and wars, prejudiced phrases and many other curiosities, the book goes from Zarathustra, in a document of the book sacred Zoroatrism from 6000 BC, to an Open Letter to the People of Illinois, written by Barack Obama in 2008, passing through documents by great names such as Einstein, Orson Welles, Marilyn Monroe, Che Guevara, Lenin, Fernando Pessoa, Getúlio Vargas, Jânio Quadros and Juscelino Kubitschek, among many others.
BRASILIANA IHGB, 175 years old, by Pedro Corrêa Do Lago | In Portuguese. 2014. 719 pages. Capybara Publisher.
In more than 700 pages and 2,300 images, this book celebrates the 175th anniversary of the Brazilian Historical and Geographical Institute (IHGB), the entity that owns one of the richest, most varied - and unexplored - collections in our country. Continuing the Brasiliana ITAU, also organized by him, Pedro Correa do Lago selected many of the most representative pieces from the immense collection carefully preserved by the IHGB and divided them into ten categories, to serve as a guide for discovering the collection and a guide for consultation. the collection. The reader will discover hundreds of unpublished and surprising pieces, among them many rare documents, which an attempt was made to succinctly describe to compose a comprehensive portrait of one of the most precious assets of the Nation. A book that every historian - or history amateur - should have in their library.
