The collection of old books (published before 1901) and books from the first half of the 20th century belonging to the Library of the Higher Technical School of Engineering has, for several years now and for reasons of better safekeeping and preservation, formed part of the Rare Book Collection of the University of Seville Library. It is located there under call numbers  A 321/1 to 232 .

It therefore comprises 232 copies that correspond to about 113 book titles, some with several volumes, and the bound volumes of 2 magazine titles.

Most of the copies come from donations from individuals, the main one being that of the engineer DM Grosso Quiroga (83 titles), followed by that of DJ Mª de Amores Jiménez, first director of the School (5 titles).

Chronologically, the oldest book dates from the late 18th century, a Table of Logarithms dated 1795 ( Tables portatives de logarithmes … by François Callet (Paris: Firmin Didot, 1795). About 80 titles were published in the 19th century and the rest in the first half of the 20th century.

From a linguistic point of view, there are many writings in French (62 titles) and Spanish (43 titles), followed by English (10 titles) and German (2 titles).

The books cover a wide range of topics. Among the technical books, we highlight several dictionaries of engineering and industrial processes; formulas and tables; books on geometry and calculus; mechanics; gears; forging, casting, and ironworking; geology and mining; electrical engineering; steam engines and motors; construction, industrial chemistry, milling, hydraulics, and modern agriculture, etc. Books covering topics beyond engineering include those dealing with law and politics, pedagogy, history, and biographies.

For some titles, the catalog records also include their electronic versions, digitized in recent years by major libraries (e.g., Gallica of the National Library of France), Google Books, etc., to facilitate online access for interested users. Efforts are underway to locate more digitized titles and make them accessible through the Fama Catalog .

The two journal titles included are: Le Génie civil: revue gènèrale hebdomadaire des industries françaises et ètrangères (1925-1927. Sign A 321/213-218) and The Journal of the Iron and Steel Institute 1930)1931-1935(1936-1938). Sign. 321/219-232).

Other serial publications include: American Trade Index (4 vols.), Annuaire de la construction mecánique (2 vols.), The Universal electrical directory… (1 vol.) and Carnegie Scholarship memoirs (3 vols.).

COMPLETE COLLECTION (Fame Catalog)

To conclude this brief bibliographic analysis, I would like to add that, in the Engineering Library , we have a Special Collection with some facsimile editions and titles of books prior to 1960-65 that, due to their age and obsolescence of content, have been removed from the General Collection of the Reading Room.