By: Lawrence Casaa Nakila

Rizal grew up in a home with a huge library which built his interests for books and learning

Amidst his penny-pinching attitude, he was still able to save to buy books.

Esteban de Ocampo, in his monograph Rizal as a Bibliophile, listed 252 bibliographic cards, not knowing that the Lopez Museum itself had 99 more.

Rizal owned a valuable collection of more than 2000 books in Hong Kong.

"I have sent my four boxes of books [part of his library] and other belongings there. I will pay the bill when I arrive; if anything happens to me you will be able to sell all my books and belongings and keep what you realize from the sale as reimbursement. The books and other things I value at about 600 pesos. Goodbye."

Rizal read a lot of French Literatures

Authors like: Honor de Balzac Alexander Dumas
Pre Three Muskeeters Count of Monte Cristo

Pierre Jean de Beranger

French Literature
Moliere Charles Secondat Montesquieu Emile Zola Napoleon
Memoirs Written from Saint Helene

Rizal also read

Daniel Defoes Robinson Crusoe Charles Dickenss David Copperfield Hans Christian Andersens Fairy Tales

 Beaumarchais The Barber of Seville and The Marriage of Figaromay even have watched Mozarts Operas

Books about the Philippines

La Libertad de Comercio en las Islas Filipinas (The Free Trade in the Philippines) by Ascarraga y Pamero Breve Diccionario Etnografico de Filipinas (Brief Philippine Ethnographic Dictionary) by Blumentritt Album von Philippinen Typen by Meyer El Arichpielago Filipino y las Islas Marianas, Carolinas y Palaos (The Philippine Islands and the Marianas, Carolines and Palau) by Montero y Vidal

Rizal owned three different versions of the Bible: Spanish translation Catholic edition One translated from the Latin Vulgate

The PRAGMATIC Books

These books show Rizals interests in creating a Philippine colony in North Borneo. He had guidebooks to Paris, Germany, the Rhine, Central Italy, and Switzerland He also possessed books such as:
Bailles Las Maravillas de la Electricidad Baireis six-volume Studies of Birds

 Buenets Drawings and Ornaments of Architecture Baltets The Art of Grafting and Budding Duyckincks Lives and Pictures of the Presidents of the United States Moneys Java: or How to Manage a Colony Levys Treatise on Public and Private Hygiene Moneys Tea Cultivation, Cotton and other Agricultural Experiments in India

Moneys How to Manage a Colony

We can conclude that:

Rizal had a wide range of interests
Literature Social Issues Arts Governance

Gracias!