The aim of this work, that is a part of the thematic project "The Transatlantic Circulation of Printed Matter: the Globalization of the Culture in the 19th Century”, is to compare the catalogues of the Imperial Library and the Fluminense Library. This comparison can reveal some similarities and some differences between the novels that were read by the Brazilian elite and by the general public and can contribute to the understanding of the presence of novels in Rio de Janeiro in the 19th century