Abstract
Noteworthy among Mexico's private libraries is that of the Cuban poet J. Ma. Heredia, which he began in 1823 after fleeing to the United States. A detailed description of it is still extant since Heredia compiled a list of its contents, presumably with a view toward their sale. Analyzing and reviewing these volumes leads us to a greater understanding of certain traits of the poet's personality: his stance as a liberal humanist, his sound classical training, and his keen interest in bibliographical novelties. This vast library also reveals Heredia’s literary influences, particularly Walter Scott, Irving, Cooper, and Chateaubriand, who fixed within him the spirit of the first generation of American romantics.