The Cervantes Section was created in 1894 when the Biblioteca Nacional moved to its current site on Paseo de Recoletos, Madrid. Until then, the editions of Cervantes' texts had formed part of the Printed Documents Department. Although the section received the attention of Marcelino Menéndez Pelayo during his time as director of the library, it was his successor, Francisco Rodríguez Marín, who considerably increased the collection, doubling the number of volumes in the same by making new acquisitions and collecting together books and pamphlets by Cervantes that had been held in the Department's various different sections. .
Over the years, new volumes have been progressively added to the archive as a result of items acquired through the legal deposit requirement or by purchase and donation. Some of the most noteworthy acquisitions were those arising from the incorporation of the private library of José María Asensio y Toledo in 1949, which increased the collection by 464 volumes, among which were 217 editions of Don Quijote, and of that belonging to Juan Sedó Peris-Mencheta, which was added in 1969. This latter library not only included the works of Miguel de Cervantes, but also featured a wide range of other material related to the author. The collection underwent several transformations during the Spanish Civil War, but once this came to an end it was rapidly increased by constant acquisitions of new material of interest. This archive includes 26 editions of Don Quijote printed in Spanish in the 17th century, as well as several valuable 20th-century editions, and a wide range of curiosities: imitations, sequels, plays, studies, conferences, catalogues, bibliographies, etc.
The collection currently consists of 5,146 volumes and 50 boxes of pamphlets, catalogued under the call number Cerv., and 8,853 volumes and 138 boxes catalogued under the call number Cerv. Sedó.