The destruction on the morning of All Saints' Day 1755 of the heart of the city of Lisbon by an earthquake, tidal wave and the fires that followed was a tragedy that divides the eighteenth century in Portugal. One casualty was the Royal Library in the Paço da Ribeira founded by Dom João V, which, by the time of his death in 1750, was hailed as one of the most magnificent court libraries in Europe.
This documented study tells the story of this lost library for the first time: its creation, collection and cultural significance in eighteenth-century Portugal, together with the important role played by its talented diplomats. Single volumes, rare manuscripts and entire libraries were acquired from across Europe, together with a remarkable collection of maps, prints, drawings, medals and the most advanced scientific instruments. This library-museum, with its cabinet of natural history and display of specimens from across Portugal's global empire, is also seen in a wider European context and as a collection that reflected and defined the emerging spirit of the Enlightenment in Portugal.
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