Seizures among the Participants of the Inconfidência Mineira as a Source for Research on the History of Books and Libraries (1789)

ABSTRACT This article discusses the seizure of assets owned by the participants in the Minas Gerais State separatist movement known as the Inconfidência Mineira in Brazil, and whether these seizure records may serve as a source for research on the history of books, libraries, and general reading habits in Minas Gerais in the second half of the eighteenth century. First, the historical context of books and the intersection between the seizures and the region’s literary culture were examined. The possibilities and the limits to the use of these seizure records in the study of private libraries is also analyzed. Finally, some of the conspirators’ reading habits, which were influenced by the revolutionary ideas that circulated Europe and North America, are presented.