thumb|200px|José Toribio Medina in 1918
José Toribio Medina Zavala (; October 21, 1852 - December 11, 1930) was a Chilean bibliographer, prolific writer, and historian. He is renowned for his study of colonial literature in Chile, printing in Spanish America and large bibliographies such as the Biblioteca Hispano-Americana. (7 Vol., 1898-1907.)
Biography
Jose Toribio Medina was born in Santiago, Chile. He was the eldest son of José del Pilar Medina y Valderrama and Mariana Zavala y Almeida, a woman of Basque descent. His father was a lawyer, and he discouraged Medina from bibliographic studies in favor of a more practical career. He was constantly traveling due to his position as a magistrate, and Medina spent his childhood moving between cities including Santiago, Talca, and Valparaiso. At the age of thirteen, he returned to Santiago to support his father who had lost the use of his legs.
Later on, Medina joined the Instituto Nacional General José Miguel Carrera under the direction of the great historian Diego Barros Arana. Later he studied law at the University of Chile, graduating as a lawyer on March 26, 1873. His first publication, while a very young man, was a metrical translation of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's Evangeline. At twenty-two he was appointed the secretary to the legation at Lima, Peru. After his return, he published a history of Chilean literature (1878), and a work upon the aboriginal tribes (1884). In 1879, he contributed to Chile's war effort against Peru and Bolivia with the invention of an improved manufacturing method of cartridges. He was appointed military judge of Tarapacá in 1880 as a result of his efforts. These researches, repeated on subsequent visits to Spain, and also to France and England, enriched him with a mass of historical and bibliographical material. Among his publications may be mentioned the Biblioteca hispano-americana, Medina worked extensively to acquire and publish bibliographic documents printed in Lima, Mexico, and Manila, including books, memoirs, and other historic documents.
Medina was married to Mercedes Ibáñez de Medina, who assisted with much of his work. She is credited with making bibliographical cards, reading proof, and conducting other "intellectual drudgery" for his works.