History of Printing and Publishing Systems
A.Y. 2020/2021
Learning objectives
The course aims to address the theme of the recognition of the creative personality of authors, what is generically called authorship and which has been established since the eighteenth century, associated with the broadening of the book market and the recognition (first in England, then in France, and from the nineteenth century in Italy) of copyright. The course is divided into three teaching units: the first is dedicated to the construction of authorship and the laws concerning authors between the 18th and 20th centuries; the second enters into the merits of how publishing was transformed between the nineteenth and twentieth centuries in Italy, and the third addresses the types of mediums which transform text into a book, from institutions such as censorship to those internal to the publishing process like proofing and translating.
The teaching is fully consistent with the objectives of the Course of Studies, and in particular the publishing curriculum, which aims to ensure the acquisition of solid historical, literary and legal knowledge in the field of the production and circulation of the book, with the identification of all social actors involved in the publishing system.
The teaching is fully consistent with the objectives of the Course of Studies, and in particular the publishing curriculum, which aims to ensure the acquisition of solid historical, literary and legal knowledge in the field of the production and circulation of the book, with the identification of all social actors involved in the publishing system.
Expected learning outcomes
Knowledge: They should be able to master the historic transformations of the Italian publishing system with a focus on the European context, and the different editorial functions in the transition from text to book; they will need to know different research methodologies, with attention to the complexity of the sources and the different types of archives (with all the possible figures and functions of publishing mediums).
Skills: The student will need to be able to analyze the historical contexts in which cultural projects and publishing activities develop; they should understand the types of sources used; they will have to be able to compare different publishing strategies through the analysis of catalogues and to demonstrate that they have a critical capacity regarding different documentary sources (memories, autobiographies, reading opinions, censored texts, etc.).
Skills: The student will need to be able to analyze the historical contexts in which cultural projects and publishing activities develop; they should understand the types of sources used; they will have to be able to compare different publishing strategies through the analysis of catalogues and to demonstrate that they have a critical capacity regarding different documentary sources (memories, autobiographies, reading opinions, censored texts, etc.).
Lesson period: First semester
Assessment methods: Esame
Assessment result: voto verbalizzato in trentesimi
Single course
This course cannot be attended as a single course. Please check our list of single courses to find the ones available for enrolment.
Course syllabus and organization
Single session
Lesson period
First semester
Teaching methods
Lectures will be delivered remotely, partly in synchronous format (Microsoft Teams), partly in asynchronous format (the lessons will be recorded on Ariel).
On the course page on Ariel, students will be able to find all the information on the lectures and any changes to the programme and its related documents (bibliography etc).
The lesson calendar will be published by the beginning of the lessons on the ARIEL teaching website.
Reference materials
On the course page on Ariel, students will be able to find all the information on the lectures and any changes to the programme and its related documents (bibliography etc).
Students attending, in addition to the bibliography already reported in the program, will obviously have to know the contents of the lessons, as well as the materials and resources published in the online course.
For students who decide not to make use of the lessons uploaded on the platform, the program for non-attendants will be valid.
Assessement methods and criteria
The examination consists of an oral interview on the scheduled subjects. In case it proves impossible to hold the exam face to face, the exam will take place remotely, in ways which will be communicated on the course page on Ariel at the end of the course.To pass the examination, a sure knowledge of the topics covered during the course is required as well as of the texts indicated.
Lectures will be delivered remotely, partly in synchronous format (Microsoft Teams), partly in asynchronous format (the lessons will be recorded on Ariel).
On the course page on Ariel, students will be able to find all the information on the lectures and any changes to the programme and its related documents (bibliography etc).
The lesson calendar will be published by the beginning of the lessons on the ARIEL teaching website.
Reference materials
On the course page on Ariel, students will be able to find all the information on the lectures and any changes to the programme and its related documents (bibliography etc).
Students attending, in addition to the bibliography already reported in the program, will obviously have to know the contents of the lessons, as well as the materials and resources published in the online course.
For students who decide not to make use of the lessons uploaded on the platform, the program for non-attendants will be valid.
Assessement methods and criteria
The examination consists of an oral interview on the scheduled subjects. In case it proves impossible to hold the exam face to face, the exam will take place remotely, in ways which will be communicated on the course page on Ariel at the end of the course.To pass the examination, a sure knowledge of the topics covered during the course is required as well as of the texts indicated.
Course syllabus
Between Intellectual History and Cultural History. From the construction of authorship to the sacralization of the author (18th-20th C.).
The course intends to present, in the first module, the historiographical debate born around the intellectual history and the socio-cultural history of the last forty years. It will identify both the variety of forms that the socio-cultural history has taken from time to time (history of ideas and concepts, mentality, discourses and representations) and the contribution that this variety of approaches has given to the history of the book. The second module concerns the construction of authorship as it developed in Europe between the 18th and 20th centuries, from the difficult conquest of copyright to the recognition of the originality of the literary work and the sacralization of the author, with the proliferation of the writers'houses museums, which originated everywhere in Europe, starting from the 19th century and throughout the 20th century. The third module dwells on the different types of documents offered by editorial archives, analysing the formation of such archives and the logic with which individual authors and publishers have selected the documents, providing a self-representation of which it is necessary to be aware.
Part A (20 hours; 3 cfu): Between social history and cultural history. The approaches of book history in the studies of the last decades.
Part B (20 hours; 3 cfu): From the construction of authorship to the sacralization of the author (18th-20th C.).
Part C (20 hours; 3 cfu): The cultural archives of the 20th century: between author's memory and publisher's memory.
The course intends to present, in the first module, the historiographical debate born around the intellectual history and the socio-cultural history of the last forty years. It will identify both the variety of forms that the socio-cultural history has taken from time to time (history of ideas and concepts, mentality, discourses and representations) and the contribution that this variety of approaches has given to the history of the book. The second module concerns the construction of authorship as it developed in Europe between the 18th and 20th centuries, from the difficult conquest of copyright to the recognition of the originality of the literary work and the sacralization of the author, with the proliferation of the writers'houses museums, which originated everywhere in Europe, starting from the 19th century and throughout the 20th century. The third module dwells on the different types of documents offered by editorial archives, analysing the formation of such archives and the logic with which individual authors and publishers have selected the documents, providing a self-representation of which it is necessary to be aware.
Part A (20 hours; 3 cfu): Between social history and cultural history. The approaches of book history in the studies of the last decades.
Part B (20 hours; 3 cfu): From the construction of authorship to the sacralization of the author (18th-20th C.).
Part C (20 hours; 3 cfu): The cultural archives of the 20th century: between author's memory and publisher's memory.
Prerequisites for admission
Basic knowledge of the historical-cultural context of the Nineteenth and Twentieth centuries; good knowledge of the interpretative instruments (useful) for the reading of methodological and critical contributions.
Teaching methods
Lectures will be delivered remotely, partly in synchronous format (Microsoft Teams), partly in asynchronous format recorded on Ariel.
On the course page on Ariel, students will be able to find all the information on the lectures and any changes to the programme and its related documents (bibliography etc).
On the course page on Ariel, students will be able to find all the information on the lectures and any changes to the programme and its related documents (bibliography etc).
Teaching Resources
PROGRAMME FOR ATTENDING STUDENTS
Part A (20 hours; 3 cfu): Between social history and cultural history. The approaches of book history in the studies of the last decades.
A book among the followings:
P. Burke, La storia culturale, Bologna, Il Mulino, 2004 o edizioni successive.
R. Chartier, La mano dell'autore, la mente dello stampatore. Cultura e scrittura nell'Europa moderna, Roma, Carocci, 2015.
R. Chartier, Inscrivere e cancellare. Cultura scritta e letteratura, Roma-Bari, Laterza, 2007.
R. Darnton, Il futuro del libro, Milano, Adelphi, 2011.
A book on the history of Italian publishing to choose from among the followings:
Storia dell'editoria nell'Italia contemporanea, a cura di G. Turi, Firenze, Giunti, 1997 (or later editions).
G. Ragone, Un secolo di libri. Storia dell'editoria in Italia dall'Unità al post-moderno, Torino, Einaudi, 1999 (or later editions).
G. Ragone, L'editoria in Italia. Storia e scenari per il XXI secolo, Napoli Liguori, 2005.
N. Tranfaglia, A. Vittoria, Storia degli editori italiani, Roma-Bari, Laterza, 2000 (or later editions).
Part B (20 hours; 3 cfu): From the construction of authorship to the sacralization of the author (18th-20th C.).
One book among the followings:
G. Albergoni, I mestieri delle lettere tra istituzioni e mercato. Vivere e scrivere a Milano nella prima metà dell'Ottocento, Milano, Franco Angeli, 2006.
L. Braida, L'autore assente. L'anonimato nell'editoria italiana del Settecento, Roma-Bari, Laterza, 2019.
C. Charle, Gli intellettuali nell'Ottocento. Saggio di storia comparata europea, Bologna, Il Mulino, 2002.
N. J. Watson, The Author's Effects: On Writer's House Museums, Oxford University Press, 2020.
Part C (20 hours; 3 cfu): The cultural archives of the 20th century: between author's memory and publisher's memory.
One book among the followings:
Archivi editoriali. Tra storia del testo e storia del libro, a cura di V. Brigatti, A. L. Cavazzuti, E.Marazzi, S. Sullam, Milano, Unicopli, 2018.
L'autore e il suo archivio, a cura di S. Albonico e N. Scaffai, Milano, Officina libraria, 2015.
I.Piazzoni, Valentino Bompiani. Un editore italiano tra fascismo e dopoguerra, Milano, LED Edizioni Universitarie di Lettere, Economia, Diritto, 2007.
Valentino Bompiani. Il percorso di un editore artigiano, a cura di L. Braida, Milano, Sylvestre Bonnard, 2003.
Giulio Einaudi nell'editoria italiana di cultura del Novecento italiano, a cura di P. Soddu, Firenze, Olschki, 2015.
A.Ferrando, Cacciatori di libri. Gli agenti letterari durante il fascismo, Milano, Franco Angeli, 2019.
NON ATTENDING STUDENTS: for 9 cfu teaching they have to bring the texts provided by the teaching part A, B and C plus a book of their choice in the following list; those for 6 cfu they have to bring the texts provided by the teaching part A and B plus a book in the following list:
R. Cesana, Libri necessari. Le edizioni letterarie Feltrinelli (1955-1965), Milano, Unicopli, 2010.
E. Rebellato, "La Scala d'oro". Libri per ragazzi durante il fascismo, Milano, Unicopli, 2016.
G. Fabre, Il censore e l'editore. Mussolini, i libri, Mondadori, Milano, Fondazione Mondadori, 2018.
Stranieri all'ombra del duce. Le traduzioni durante il fascismo, a cura di A. Ferrando, Milano, F. Angeli, 2019.
A.Armano, Maledizioni. Processi, sequestri, censure a scrittori e editori in Italia dal dopoguerra a oggi, anzi domani, Milano, BUR, 2014.
H. Hendrix, Writers' Houses and the Making of Memory, Routledge, 2008.
Part A (20 hours; 3 cfu): Between social history and cultural history. The approaches of book history in the studies of the last decades.
A book among the followings:
P. Burke, La storia culturale, Bologna, Il Mulino, 2004 o edizioni successive.
R. Chartier, La mano dell'autore, la mente dello stampatore. Cultura e scrittura nell'Europa moderna, Roma, Carocci, 2015.
R. Chartier, Inscrivere e cancellare. Cultura scritta e letteratura, Roma-Bari, Laterza, 2007.
R. Darnton, Il futuro del libro, Milano, Adelphi, 2011.
A book on the history of Italian publishing to choose from among the followings:
Storia dell'editoria nell'Italia contemporanea, a cura di G. Turi, Firenze, Giunti, 1997 (or later editions).
G. Ragone, Un secolo di libri. Storia dell'editoria in Italia dall'Unità al post-moderno, Torino, Einaudi, 1999 (or later editions).
G. Ragone, L'editoria in Italia. Storia e scenari per il XXI secolo, Napoli Liguori, 2005.
N. Tranfaglia, A. Vittoria, Storia degli editori italiani, Roma-Bari, Laterza, 2000 (or later editions).
Part B (20 hours; 3 cfu): From the construction of authorship to the sacralization of the author (18th-20th C.).
One book among the followings:
G. Albergoni, I mestieri delle lettere tra istituzioni e mercato. Vivere e scrivere a Milano nella prima metà dell'Ottocento, Milano, Franco Angeli, 2006.
L. Braida, L'autore assente. L'anonimato nell'editoria italiana del Settecento, Roma-Bari, Laterza, 2019.
C. Charle, Gli intellettuali nell'Ottocento. Saggio di storia comparata europea, Bologna, Il Mulino, 2002.
N. J. Watson, The Author's Effects: On Writer's House Museums, Oxford University Press, 2020.
Part C (20 hours; 3 cfu): The cultural archives of the 20th century: between author's memory and publisher's memory.
One book among the followings:
Archivi editoriali. Tra storia del testo e storia del libro, a cura di V. Brigatti, A. L. Cavazzuti, E.Marazzi, S. Sullam, Milano, Unicopli, 2018.
L'autore e il suo archivio, a cura di S. Albonico e N. Scaffai, Milano, Officina libraria, 2015.
I.Piazzoni, Valentino Bompiani. Un editore italiano tra fascismo e dopoguerra, Milano, LED Edizioni Universitarie di Lettere, Economia, Diritto, 2007.
Valentino Bompiani. Il percorso di un editore artigiano, a cura di L. Braida, Milano, Sylvestre Bonnard, 2003.
Giulio Einaudi nell'editoria italiana di cultura del Novecento italiano, a cura di P. Soddu, Firenze, Olschki, 2015.
A.Ferrando, Cacciatori di libri. Gli agenti letterari durante il fascismo, Milano, Franco Angeli, 2019.
NON ATTENDING STUDENTS: for 9 cfu teaching they have to bring the texts provided by the teaching part A, B and C plus a book of their choice in the following list; those for 6 cfu they have to bring the texts provided by the teaching part A and B plus a book in the following list:
R. Cesana, Libri necessari. Le edizioni letterarie Feltrinelli (1955-1965), Milano, Unicopli, 2010.
E. Rebellato, "La Scala d'oro". Libri per ragazzi durante il fascismo, Milano, Unicopli, 2016.
G. Fabre, Il censore e l'editore. Mussolini, i libri, Mondadori, Milano, Fondazione Mondadori, 2018.
Stranieri all'ombra del duce. Le traduzioni durante il fascismo, a cura di A. Ferrando, Milano, F. Angeli, 2019.
A.Armano, Maledizioni. Processi, sequestri, censure a scrittori e editori in Italia dal dopoguerra a oggi, anzi domani, Milano, BUR, 2014.
H. Hendrix, Writers' Houses and the Making of Memory, Routledge, 2008.
Assessment methods and Criteria
The examination consists of an oral interview on the scheduled subjects. In case it proves impossible to hold the exam face to face, the exam will take place remotely, in ways which will be communicated on the course page on Ariel at the end of the course.To pass the examination, a sure knowledge of the topics covered during the course is required as well as of the texts indicated. The vote is expressed in 30th.
Erasmus students will have the possibility, if they request so, to take the exam in English, according to a syllabus agreed with the teacher.
The examination arrangements for students with disabilities and/or DSA will have to be agreed with the teacher, in agreement with the DSA office.
Erasmus students will have the possibility, if they request so, to take the exam in English, according to a syllabus agreed with the teacher.
The examination arrangements for students with disabilities and/or DSA will have to be agreed with the teacher, in agreement with the DSA office.
Unita' didattica A
M-STO/08 - ARCHIVAL SCIENCE, BIBLIOGRAPHY AND LIBRARIANSHIP - University credits: 3
Lessons: 20 hours
Unita' didattica B
M-STO/08 - ARCHIVAL SCIENCE, BIBLIOGRAPHY AND LIBRARIANSHIP - University credits: 3
Lessons: 20 hours
Unita' didattica C
M-STO/08 - ARCHIVAL SCIENCE, BIBLIOGRAPHY AND LIBRARIANSHIP - University credits: 3
Lessons: 20 hours