Sansoni (publisher)

Sansoni
Founded1873; 151 years ago (1873) in Florence, Italy
FounderGiulio Cesare Sansoni
Key people
Giovanni Gentile
OwnerArnoldo Mondadori Editore

Sansoni is an Italian publisher founded in 1873 by Giulio Cesare Sansoni, located in Florence.

History

Until the 1930s, Sansoni devoted almost all its attention to literature, with its works mostly aimed at schools and universities. Some of its most important collections are "Raccolta di opere inedite o rare di ogni secolo della letteratura italiana" (started in 1880), "Biblioteca scolastica di classici italiani (started in 1885), "Collezione di classici greci" (started in 1887), "Biblioteca critica della letteratura italiana" (started in 1895).

In 1932 Sansoni was bought by Giovanni Gentile who extended its scope into philosophy and history.[1] He started some new magazines including the second series of "Giornale critico della filosofia italiana", "Critica d'arte" (directed by Ranuccio Bianchi Bandinelli, Carlo Ludovico Ragghianti and Roberto Longhi), "Lingua nostra" (directed by Bruno Migliorini e Giacomo Devoto).

After the end of World War II and the assassination of Gentile in 1944, the publisher was managed by his son Federico.[2] He opened the way to encyclopedias (including Enciclopedia cattolica and Enciclopedia dello spettacolo) and dictionaries. In 1976 Federico Gentile sold the company to Rizzoli and on the same year he founded the publishing house Le Lettere (still located in Florence).[3] Le Lettere acquired part of the titles of Sansoni, including Giovanni Gentile's Opera Omnia. Sansoni became later one of the many trademarks of Arnoldo Mondadori Editore. Sansoni's archives are in Archivio di Stato di Firenze, which is restoring and inventorying them after the flood of 1966.

Bibliography

  • Marino Parenti, G.C. Sansoni: Editore in Firenze, Landi, Firenze, 1956
  • Gianfranco Pedullà, Il mercato delle idee: Giovanni Gentile e la Casa editrice Sansoni, Il Mulino, Bologna, 1986
  • Testimonianze per un centenario, Sansoni, Firenze, 1974
  • Sansoni, 1873-1968, Officine Grafiche Firenze, Firenze, 1968 (exhibition organized by Comitato della Loggia Rucellai)

References

  1. ^ Spirito, Ugo (2000). Memoirs of the Twentieth Century. Rodopi. pp. 89–90. ISBN 978-90-420-1242-4.
  2. ^ "L'assassinio di Gentile - Vita e morte di Giovanni Gentile" (in Italian). Archived from the original on 21 April 2014.
  3. ^ "Biblioteca Sansoni". Sezione Tascabili. Retrieved 2024-01-04.
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