Son of the renowned Catalan printer and publisher
Manuel Rivadeneyra (
:es:Manuel Rivadaneyra), Adolfo began his diplomatic career in
Beirut as a multilingual interpreter (he spoke fluent English, French, Italian, German, Persian, Turkish and several dialects of Arabic), became Acting Consul in
Jerusalem, vice-consul in
Ceylon,
Damascus, and
Tehran, and subsequently was consul in
Mogador and
Singapore, where he ended his career in the Foreign Service in 1879. He actively participated in the Spanish cultural world of his time and was elected to the
Royal Academy of History and appointed secretary of the
Geographical Society of Madrid. In Damascus he began studying
Assyrian with the help of his teacher and friend Francisco García Ayuso. As publisher, Adolfo Rivadeneyra continued to publish the series of classics of Spanish literature, entitled
Biblioteca de Autores Españoles, started by his father. In addition, he related his extensive travels throughout the East in several books. ==Works==