A bibliography of nineteenth-century periodicals in the National Library of Malta collection

Abstract

The present publication has a dual objective. Firstly, it is intended as a useful and updated research tool for scholars, students and members of the general public who are interested in our political, social and cultural history. Secondly, it is a contribution to the efforts being made to create an awareness among the public of the great cultural wealth enclosed within the imposing walls of the National Library of Malta (NLM). The bibliography includes the periodicals published in Malta between 1798 and 1900 which have been personally traced by me and by the front-office staff of the Library who have done their utmost to help me retrieve the volumes in order to obtain the information I required. I have included the Journal de Matte of 1798 because it was the only paper published prior to 1801 and because of its chronological proximity to the nineteenth century. I have however omitted the periodicals which have been classified as 'missing' and those few which I have been unable to trace. Right from the start I would like to acknowledge my indebtedness to my forerunners in this field, the late Bianca Fiorentini and Fr Anthony F. Sapienza. I have used their works as a reference point though my objective was somewhat different from theirs. Fiorentini's "Il Giomalismo a Malta" (1982, in V. Bonello, B. Fiorentini and L. Schiavone, Echi del Risorgimento a Malta, Milan, Cisalpino-Goliardica) included all known periodicals published between 1800 and 1870, the period when our press was also an instrument of the Italian liberal exiles and the agents of the Italian states during the Risorgimento. In fact, Fiorentini was primarily interested in the Italian historical aspect although she unearthed a vast amount of information which has been the basis of later research in the field, including my own. On its part, Fr Sapienza's A Checklist of Maltese Periodicals and Newspapers in the National Library of Malta and the University of Malta Library (1977, Malta, Malta University Press) covered the period up to the mid-1970s. It included only the papers and reviews which form part of the NLM and the University Library collections, and it contained strictly bibliographical information.In this work I have integrated both previous bibliographies within the 1798-1900 time-frame, also utilizing however the material I have collected during my research for my doctoral dissertation on the Italianlanguage newspapers and periodicals published in Malta between 1798 and 1940. I have therefore included a brief history of each of the most important papers and reviews, as well as short notes on the others. This should aid the user of this book in the selection of the publications which could be of particular relevance to his or her area of study.The periodicals collection is an endless source of research material which can help us shed further light on diverse aspects of our past. The latter, unfortunately, is still partially veiled by long-standing, politically inspired myths and di stortions. The quest of our forefathers for an identity distinct from that of their foreign rulers, their consequent struggle for rights and representation against a formidable power such as Britain, as well as the language question, have often been interpreted according to political convenience. In the papers of the time lies the authentic spirit which drove our ancestors in their struggles and their rivalries. I would like to thank Mr Philip Borg, the Director of Libraries, on whose initiative I undertook the compilation of the bibliography, Mr Anselm Sciberras who took care of the typesetting, Ms Margaret Callus who proofread the script and the staff of the NLM for their help and cooperation.