Library Collections

The AHCB Library has been built up not only by acquisitions but also thanks to bequests and donations. The following are some of the collections:

Works published in Barcelona: books published since printing began, including three incunabula. A chronological catalogue lets you search by year of publication, drawing a panorama of printing activity in the city.
Entity fonds: includes the publications of public and private Barcelona institutions such as the Acadèmia dels Desconfiats, Barcelona City Council, Barcelona Provincial Council, Mancomunitat and Generalitat of Catalonia, Ateneu Barcelonès, Reial Acadèmia de Bones Lletres, and so on. Among these publications there are reports, statutes, regulations, talks and other monographs that reflect the activities of some city bodies.
Barcelona Guides: collection of Barcelona city and tourist guides dating from 1777 to the present day.
Massana Library: a collection of nearly 6,000 books on dress and sumptuary arts left by Agustí Massana i Pujol (1855-1921).
Toda Library: a collection of 7,000 books on travels and Hispanic subjects donated by Eduard Toda i Güell (1855-1941), who collected them throughout his life as a diplomat around the world.
Serra i Pagès Library: a collection with around 3,700 books on folklore and popular culture collected by Rossend Serra i Pagès (1863-1929).
Narcís Oller Library (1846-1930): 1,288 volumes.
Josep Maria López-Picó Library (1886-1959): 1,700 works, many of them signed by the authors.
Small collections: with the works of Apel·les Mestres, Pompeu Gener, Ignasi Iglésias, Jacint Verdaguer and so on.