At the London Library - The  London library acquires material in all areas of italian literature. The Italian literature collection include all the major Italian writers, from Dante, Petrarca, Boccaccio, Macchiavelli, Ariosto, Tasso, Leopardi, Verga, D’annunzio Calvino, sciascia and Moravia.

The London library maintain a strong collection in all areas of italian literature and drama, from the medieval and Renaissance periods anwards, ingluding literary philosophy and theory. Critical studies, scholarly edition and work of reference are present too. The Dante Colletion merits special mention.

A Sizeable number of work were donate in 1910 by the Dante scholar Dr. Paget Jackson Toynbee, Fellow of the Oxford Dante Society. In addition to several edition of Dante’s complete works and critical commentaries both in Italian and English, the Library Possesses the series Lectura Dantis for the years 1889- 1934, Il Giornale dantesco for the years 1894-1915, the original edition of Paolo Colomb de Batines Bibliografia Dantesca, published 1845-1846, and the recently acquired Enciclopedia dantesca.

Of note are the commedia di Dante degli Allagherii col comment di Jacopo della Luna author of one of first commentaries an Dante’s Divine comedy and the so colled Dantino, one of the smallest- sized edition of the Divine comedy ever produced using typography characters.

There is also, a fiction section complements the holdings and offers a rich array of work from the “ classics” to contemporary authors such as Umberto Eco, Andrea Cammilleri and others. The section includes scarce work which are not Longer readily available, as for example the novel Clelia by Giuseppe Garibaldi, Published in 1870.

The Italian History section is Located on level 3 of the back stacks, includes work covering the history of the Italian  Peninsula from Prehistory  to the present with an emphasis  on the  renaissance the Risorgimento in particular, the First and Second World War Period and Fascist Italy.

The depth of the holding covering the Unification of Italy  and the Risorgimento was praised in a letter by the historian G.M. Trevelyan  which is  preserved in the London Library’s archives. Post 1945 history is also well represented. The core of the Collection, dating from the 19 th century, has been maintained and continuously augmented and the Library possesses many 19^th and 20^th century standard historical work such ad Spellanzon’s Storia del Risorgimento, storia d’italia by Enaudi.

RARE BOOKS COLLECTION

The Library possesses a notable collection of early printed books dating from the early 16^th century including various works in  Latin and Italian or otherwise printed in Italy.

The Oldest book owned by the Library would appear to be the work in Italian by Benivieni Girolamo ( a portrait of whom can be seen at the Nation Gallery). In among the  riches of the Italian material within  the rare book Collection, the work of the venetian print Aldo Manuzio mentis special mention. The library has in its possession a 1502 edition of Dante’s Terze rime. Other rarities include a first edition of Pietro Bembo’s Gli Asolani, printed in venice in 1505 by Aldus Manutius and a first edition of Antonio Corso’s rime Printed in Venice in 1550 of which only six copies are Known to be extant.

The London Library is surely an amazing place where people can get concentred and experienced a  “ little Italy” in a big London.

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The London Library Italian collections