ECUADOR, 1955, the bicentennial of printing in their country, Scott 605-611

Brother Johann Adam Schwarz was born in Dillingen, Germany. Entering the Society of Jesus, he came to Ecuador and became the director of the printing press at the Jesuit college at Ambato, where the first work and the first book to have been printed in the country were, respectively, the Catalogus personarum et officiorum Provinciae Quitensis Societatis Jesu (Ambato: Typis ejusdem Societatis, 1754) [A catalog of persons and offices of the Quito Province of the Society of Jesus], and St. Bonadventure's Piissima erga Dei genitricem devotio ad impetrandam gratiam pro Articulo Mortis (Ambato: Typis Soc. Jesu, 1755) [The most pious devotion to the Mother of God to obtain grace for the moment of death]. The historical event is marked today by the Monumento a la Primera Imprenta (Monument to the First Printing Press) northwest of the center of town. The press remained in Ambato until 1760 and then moved to Quito, where Schwarz became the director of the press. When the Jesuits were expelled from Ecuador in 1767, he set sail, but died on route home.

   
ECUADOR, 1955, the airmail stamps of the above issue feature the frontispiece of the book, Scott C302-305

NEXT