It's really hard to know. You'll have to search the contract between the author and the publisher. It is possible that this contract still exists if the publisher's archives have been preserved.

In Spain, if the author is a well-known nineteenth-century author-- like Pérez Galdós, Pardo Bazán or Alarcón-- , most likely the copyrights have passed from one generation to another or have been sold by one publishing house to another.  Your best course of action is to contact the purchasing publishing house by email.  If anyone knows how  long each edition was, the purchaser would. Another course of action is to consult electronic on-line catalogues of libraries in Spain.  Start with the Biblioteca Nacional. Their catalogue may tell you the length of multiple editions.  Proceed from there to individual departments in the Complutense (Madrid) and in the Universidad de Salamanca. 

The "Catálogo colectivo del Patrimonio Bibliográfico Español" includes bibliographic records (whit the number of pages) of most of the old books (pre-1900) held in libraries throughout Spain, including the most signifiant (National Library, Libraries of universities, Private Libraries, etc.. ). Maybe you can find here the information you seek: http://www.mecd.gob.es/cultura-mecd/areas-cultura/bibliotecas/mc/ccpb/portada.html

Best regards.

Thank you all for the answers. The CCPB (I didn't know) has given me additional information, but any catalogue gives me this datum concretely. Unfortunately, the author is quite unknown and his books haven't been reedited since 1890's. I will try to enquire about the publisher archives, although it promises to be hard. On the other hand, the reviews and advertisements on the press of these years has given me some clues about the distribution. Thanks again!

Could you tell me who the author is?  Maybe one of us has heard of him or of his book and could orient you from there.

Of course, he is Miguel Morayta Sagrario, aa. 

Miguel Morayta Sagrario was a very prominent Mason in late nineteenth-century Madrid.  María Dolores Gómez Molleda has written a very fine and ample book on the Masons in Spain.  My suggestion would be to find out what she says about Morayta Sagrario-- I don´t have her book available to me-- and proceed from there through Masonic channels to find out about the history book you are researching.  You could also find out through professional historians at Madrid universities. Ask your colleagues at the Autónoma but also email historians at the Complutense.  I have no doubt that whatever the title of the book you are researching-- and I do think you should name it here--, it will surely give history (of Spain?) a reformist slant. Masons were (and are) social reformists and educators.

It just occurred to me-- I know Dña. Ma. Dolores Gómez Molleda personally--.  She is still alive and she herself could give you bibliographic information or know how to find it.

Maybe too, the "Palau", of Antonio Palau, "Manual del librero hispano-americano: inventario bibliográfico de la producción científica y literaria de España y de la América latina desde la invención de la imprenta hasta nuestros dias, con el valor comercial de todos los artículos descritos", with several editions (23 vols). It is in the UAM Humanities Library (Sala de Investigadores)

Wonderful suggestion, Fermín.  I wonder if he is looking up the "Historia general de España" of Morayta Sagrario. If so, the U. of Valencia has information.

Thanks, Nelson. There's a small lot of digital editions of Morayta books in the Biblioteca Digital Hispánica (http://www.bne.es/es/Catalogos/BibliotecaDigitalHispanica/Inicio/index.html), like "Historia de la Grecia Antigua" and "Historia General de España". Good look

Tomás, are we talking about "Historia General de España"?

Sorry, because my last answer wasn't sent correctly. Indeed, the book is Historia general de España. There is a lot of bibliography about Morayta as mason and political figure, but not very much as historian. The main specialist in this aspect is Jorge Vilches (Universidad de Zaragoza). I know quite well the Morayta's work and think that this information (the distribution and success of his editions), never noticed until I know, might be relevant in the study of his reception,  always highly controversial. Thanks again for the interest. I will try these ways.

The fact that he was a Mason would also explain his controversial reception. Mason was synonymous with "liberal" and "hereje" for reactionaries.

Indeed, that's the point. In this sense, his original vision of Antiquity and biblical history is specially interesting.

If that is the point, why are you researching the circulation? The fact that his book went to three editions proves by itself that the work had ample readership.  Or do I misunderstand your purpose?

Because I have the hypothesis that the reception of his book was quite superficial. I mean, that the celebrity of the publication was caused by his personal controversial character and not by the book content  itself. Despite of there were three, they were luxury editions and I suppose, very limited in number. In addition, it was rarely cited in following histories, the most liberal included. In any case, it's a secondary question, that's true, a factor among others for considering its reception.

Dear Tomás,

To find out whether a book has received a deep reading, determine what are its main ideas and whether these ideas pass into subsequent books and articles on the history of Spain.  Even if these subsequent works do not explicitly mention Morayta, if they use his wording, you have evidence of  a deep reading. Did the "Historia general" generate any book reviews in cultural periodicals?  Are those reviews deep?

As the author of a number of books, I always wonder whether their buyers read them deeply. I can determine depth of reading from book reviews and from remarks in subsequent books on the same authors as the ones I analyze.

Thank you very much for your suggestions, Nelson. Interesting questions for considering, very useful reflexions for my work.

Tomás,

My first book was "Ortega y sus fuentes germánicas." I wanted to find out the origin of all those brilliant ideas. I went to Ortega´s library, spotted the titles of sources, read them deeply, and found he had read them deeply too often without citing them. Yet he had often translated word for word, metaphor for metaphor, from the German to the Spanish. I think that if you read the history of Spain in books coming immediately after Morayta, you will be surprised to note that they contain his ideas in his wording without mentioning him. This is because it was not the custom to be so meticulous in citing sources as we are today. 

After reading your messages I have been curious and have read Morayta's introduction of its third edition of "Historia General" (Biblioteca Digital Hispánica). I think it's very interesting about their academic problems, their enemies and their defenders and, indeed, I think, Tomás, that can be a very interesting job you have at hand. Good luck.

Very difficult. Have you had a look at Spanish government records? Some jurisdictions require that all books be registered and may require the number printed to be stated in the registration record. Another possible line to explore would be the Vatican. Published books in a number of Catholic countries had to be submitted to Rome to obtain the 'nihil obstat' imprimateur before they could go on sale. Such records just may have had the number printed recorded.

See above.

most governments had "privileges" and tex stamps. So tax records and the censor should be a good starter. Of course you  can't count illegal copies, fakes imprints or even black markets print runs.

In the Austrian Empire the "depot legal" exists since late 18th century

Ronald and Lode, if it is true that the Vatican had to issue its "Nihil obstat," I am surprised that it (and the Spanish authorities) permitted the printing of a notorious Mason´s history of Spain.  How to explain this liberality at a time that the Church was acutely sensitive to challenges to its authority?

not the vatican. the local censor working for the civil government. The nihil obstat just meant anybody could read it. PG13 or so. Church and State had different means and ends. Masons were in high places. The censor did not always read or understand. Bribery was involved or plain stupidity... The tax records are the most easy way finding out print runs. Some boosk were subscribed to and then you have the circulation.  Since priests made out a large part of the clientele for books both risque and philosofical , censorship therefore  had to tackle tricky forewords helping to pass the test. There is een good monographie (Martinus Nijhoff publishers decades ago) about the French book police and the confiscations of printworks smuggled into France in the 17th and 18th century. I suppose the "prefecture" or the "sûreté" kept the same records after 1793. The French and the German have proven first class bureaucrats for centuries so for once you'll be hape to see the work of a zealot.

In Spain the legal deposit existed since 1716, but has only been effective since the 50s of XX century. As for the "nihil obstat" I think since the triumph of the Liberals in the 30s of the XIX century was only mandatory for clergy. The laic authors just had to pass civil censorship, and relied heavily censor on duty, or government that governed in each case.

Thanks

RH

To find that 1880 book published in Spain, I would suggest starting with a university librarian.