Editora Quaresma, livros populares e o caso de “A História e a Legenda” (1891-1896)

Abstract

This dissertation aims to explore the circulation of books in Rio de Janeiro at the end of the 19th century, focusing on the publishing market of printed materials for a broad audience. For this purpose, the volumes of a series of books about “great characters” in history were studied, which was written by Counselor João Manuel Pereira da Silva (1817–1898) and published by the Quaresma publisher: A História e a Legenda (1891-1896). The research examines the performance of the People’s Bookstore and Quaresma & C. in the Rio de Janeiro publishing market during the early years of the Republic, as well as Counselor Pereira da Silva’s relationship with the writing of history and biographies. The content of the texts is not explored in depth, instead, attention is focused on their materiality, as well as the processes involved in their creation. We observe in the historicity of the history of the book and printed materials the creation and development of a publishing formula aimed at serving an increasingly larger audience, which was gaining space in the Brazilian market at the end of the nineteenth century. Thus, the definitions of what was considered a history book for the publishing market stand out.