Special Collections of the Humanities Library

The collection remained with the Institute of Higher Studies when the Asiatic Society stopped operating in the years 1935-40. It consists of about 420 volumes and 60 journals (some 2,700 folders or files) on the oriental languages and literatures, particularly from the Far East, published between the seventeenth and nineteenth century. The collection also includes 4 containers of administrative documents.

In fair conservation conditions. Partially catalogued (books only). Consultation and reproduction allowed for books only.

The Italian Asiatic Society, a successor of the Oriental Academy previously established at the Institute for Advanced Studies in Florence under the chairmanship of Michele Amari, was founded in 1886 and inaugurated together with the Indian Museum, in whose premises was housed, in 1886 (the Statute dates back to 1898). It was intended to 'promote in Italy and spread all manner of studies concerning the East, and especially Asia, as regards to language, history, and all literary, artistic and religious manifestations' (Art. 1 of the Statute). The Society published the Journal of the Italian Asiatic Society and also works on the East, grammars of oriental languages, unpublished Eastern texts and the first Italian translations of works from the East. All volumes of the collection are marked with a dedicated stamp on the title pages..

Important collection of classics of English and American literature, which, together with the critical essays and collections of specialised journals also part of the collection, represent a valuable bibliographic heritage and reference for scholars

In good conservation conditions. Cataloguing in progress. Consultation, loan and reproduction allowed for the material already catalogued.

Sergio Baldi (1909-1984) Professor of English Literature at the Faculty of Arts, University of Florence. The collection, which was received as a gift to the humanities library in 2004 by the will of the heirs, represents his personal library.

The collection consists of about 930 printed volumes and 550 pamphlets, from 1890-1978, covering archaeology and donated to the library in 1978 [inventoried in 1985].

In good conservation conditions. Catalogue in record format. Consultation allowed. Loans allowed. Reproduction allowed.

Luisa Banti (Florence 1894-1978), scholar and professor of Etruscan Studies and Archeology at the University of Florence from 1954 to 1974.

The collection was deposited at the library in 1892. It contains about 13,600 printed volumes from the sixteenth to the nineteenth century (including 2 incunabula, 745 books of the XVIth century in special format) documenting all knowledge; the scientific section is of particular relevance (astronomy, physics, anatomy, etc.); also significantly represented are literary and antiquarian subjects. There's also an interesting miscellaneous section on Florentine matters.

Generally in fair storage conditions. Cataloged in part (special catalogue on card and partially on SBN). The original catalogue of the collection, compipled by Leopoldo Scaffai in the years following the acquisition, suffered damages and losses as a result of the 1966 flood. The original list of the collection, entitled: 'Library Catalogue of the Pio Bardi Institute' was held by the Royal Institute od Advanced and Vocational Studies - Philosophy and Philology Section . Consultation allowed.

Presumably collected by the renowned Florentine family over several centuries (undocumented), the material was donated as a bequest by Count Girolamo de' Bardi, the last heir, to the Pio Istituto de' Bardi, which he founded in 1829 to impart free education to the artisans. In consideration that the vast and important collection of books was alien to their own institutional purposes, the Pio Istituto de 'Bardi deposited it in part (other nuclei of materials were destined for different institutions) at the Royal Institute of Advanced Studies by deed signed June 10, 1892, complete with shelving.

A special 'inventory' (ie a list of the books) It was prepared, countersigned by both parties. Certain clauses were placed: the 'library' was to be housed in special rooms with the indication of the holder and the Pio Istituto was to maintain jurisdiction over the collection. There is a partial topographical catalogue, in loose sheets and card records. Some sections appear surprisingly empty. There are significant gaps compared to the original list. On the title page of the books it is embossed the stamp of the collection. On some volumes there are bookplates marked: 'Count Girolamo Bardi'.

Collection donated in 1969. It consists of about 2500 volumes relating to Italian dialectology, as well as dictionaries and language atlases and numerous local hard-to-find publications about little-known areas and places. The legacy of 20 million lire attached to the donation of the material, together with the collections allocated by the Department of Linguistics and numerous gifts of various origin, allowed it to increase the consistency of the collection.

In good conservation conditions. The collection is held at the Department of Linguistics, in a special room dedicated to the donor. Catalogue in record and SBN formats. Consultation allowed and reproduction allowed upon authorisation (limited to the printed volumes). The collection includes also a container with handwritten material still to be catalogued. Consultation allowed upon authorisation (for the manuscripts).

Carlo Battisti (Trento 1882-Empoli 1977), essayist, dialectologist, author of numerous dictionaries, since 1925 professor of Glottology and Comparative History of Romance Languages at the University of Florence. Dialectology had a long tradition in the Institute of Higher Studies. In 1873, upon the initiative of Comparetti, Lasinio, Trezza, Villari, the Italian Dialectological Society was founded and in 1874, the teaching of Dialectology was entrusted to Napoleone Caix. In 1875 this was transformed into the subject of Romance Languages.

Formerly the Library of the Moral Institution Library of Philosophy, the collection came to the library in 1942, with a special deposit agreement, as an autonomous complex with its own shelving and catalogue. It includes approximately 9,800 print volumes from the sixteenth to the nineteenth centuries (of which 68 books from the sixteenth century are placed in a special section), plus unquantified administrative documents. The disciplines covered are philosophy, history of religions, oriental religions, sciences and psychology.

In good conservation conditions. Partly catalogued on card records. Specially-produced printed catalogue edited by the Library of Philosophy. Consultation allowed. Loans allowed upon authorisation. Reproduction allowed upon authorisation.

Born in Florence on the initiative of some scholars as a theosophical society that, in order to promote the study and knowledge of Oriental themes and philosophies, organised lectures and seminars in Florence, published its own Bulletin and lent books to its subscribed members by subscribing its books even in remote townships. The Philosophical Library became a moral entity in 1908. In 1931 it had its own Statute. In 1940 it became a Florentine section of the Institute of Philosophical Studies and held its seat in the premises of the Institute of Higher Studies.

The collection, purchased from the library [and inventoried in 1971], consists of 302 print volumes of the 1800s relevant to Russian literature including journals and almanacks of the Russian symbolist period.

In fair conservation conditions. Catalogue in record format. Consultation allowed. Loans allowed. Reproduction allowed upon authorisation.

Bestowed to the library in 2005 following the will of the owner's family, who wanted to make the collection available to those interested in the subject, this collection includes about 2000 volumes and documents. It reflects the specific and varied interests of Andrea Campana for the Far East, ranging from technical texts of history, anthropology and political science to subjects of general culture, literature, art, and testifies to a generous and unbiased scientific disposition towards the matter. The order reflects the original subdivision by topic, as per Campana's wishes.

There is a detailed topographical list of all material. Consultation allowed.

Andrea Campana (Florence 1955-2003) graduated in Political Sciences at Cesare Alfieri Faculty in Florence. He obtained a PhD in Political and Diplomatic History from East Asia at the same university. He specialised in the United States, England, France and the Far East. In particular, he travelled several times to Seoul, South Korea, where he also held teaching and research chairs at some universities, becoming a specialist in that country. An author of numerous essays, he thoroughly analysed the geopolitical reasons for Korea's division in the two opposing states. Intrigued by the history of Oriental studies in the West, he also carried out in-depth studies the relative material held at the Library of the Faculty of Humanities. At the same time, he addressed his interest in the study of the growing commercial flow and related industrial problems between Italy and Eastern Asia. Member of AISC (Italian Association of Chinese Studies), AISTUGIA (Association of Japanese Studies), Association of Korean Studies in Europe, EACS (European Association of Chinese Studies), Campana served as Research Assistant at the Chair of History and Civilization at the European University Institute of San Domenico di Fiesole and research fellow and lecturer at the Faculty of Political Science in Florence. Since 2001 he has been teaching in the field of History of Eastern Asia at the Faculty of Humanities, at the University of Florence.

The collection, purchased in 1901 after an evaluation by professors Lasinio and Coen, consists of some 5,000 volumes (including 80 16th century works) from the sixteenth to the nineteenth centuries, particularly monographs of philological and literary topics in the Semitic and Hebrew fields, including some precious editions of fundamental works of Jewish mystical literature.

In rather good conservation conditions. Some volumes need restoration. Catalogue in record format. Consultation allowed. Reproduction allowed upon authorisation.

Personal library of professor David Leone Castelli (Livorno 1836-Florence 1901) lecturer of Hebrew from 1876 to 1900 at the Royal Institute of Higher Studies of Florence.

The collection, donated in 1921 by Achille Coen in memory of his son Adriano, in whose was also entitled a foundation that bestowed a three-year award to worthy students, consists of volumes (3,199) and brochures (about 3.255 stored in boxes) from the 18th to the 20th century on the topics of classical philology, literature, history, philosophy, law.

In fair conservation conditions. Some volumes need restoration. Catalogue in record format. Consultation allowed upon authorisation.

Achille Coen (Pisa 1844-Florence 1921), historian, professor of ancient history at the Royal Institute of Higher Education in Florence from 1888 to 1914. He was a long-time editor of the library, and he was the first organiser of the library in 1901. Since 1889, with a four-year work, The first complete catalogue. The collection does not have a specific placement as Collection Coen but it is included in the 'Room V', one of the first sections of the library. The front pages of the volumes are stamped with the Coen ex-libris.

The collection is made up of about 11,000 volumes and 3,300 leaflets in boxes, in addition to 6 manuscript and 235 books of the 16th century in a special section, received by the library in 1927 along with archaeological objects owned by the donor with testamentary legacy (a recently documented total of 14.983: Janse). The materials cover the period from the sixteenth to the twentieth century. The disciplines covered are archaeology, papyrology, literature, folklore, classical philology and romance. Manuscripts, rearranged and divided into 20 containers, include published and unpublished works, correspondence, preparatory documents, graphic and iconographic material, conference transcripts.

In good conservation conditions. Catalogue in record format (the volumes and the brochures). Printed catalogue for the loose sheets. Consultation allowed.

Domenico Comparetti (Rome 1835-Florence 1927), philologist, a scholar of antiquity, professor of Greek Literature at the Royal Institute of Higher Studies in Florence from 1872 to the second half of the 1880s. Some volumes of the collection have been placed in specific sections of the specialised reading rooms of the current Department of Science of Antiquity and lost their original placement. The rest are dispersed among many locations: the core is from the former Sala VI of the Library of the Department of Philology (the present Comparetti VI). Another considerable corpus of the collection is that of the volumes that belonged to the Archaeological Cabinet within the Royal Institute. The front page of the volumes bears the stamp of the collection.

The collection, offered for sale to the library in 1914 by the son of Professor D'Ancona, includes 8,360 brochures in 418 boxes, 759 miscellaneous volumes published between the 18th and the 20th centuries. The disciplines covered are history, literature, politics, art, philology. It is a precious and important collection of miscellaneous, full of peculiar items and bibliographic rarities, collected with authentic book-lover passion.

In good conservation conditions. Catalogue in record format. Consultation allowed.

Alessandro D'Ancona (Pisa 1835-Florence 1914), historian, a man of letters and philologist, collaborator of many journals, theatre scholar. The inside covers of the books are stamped with the name of the collection.

The collection, partly purchased and partly donated, arrived at the library around 1915-6. It consists of about 1160 brochures contained in 58 boxes and an unspecified number of print volumes from the 1800s to the 1900s on the topics of literature, art, history, historical literary criticism.

In good conservation conditions. Catalogue in record format. Consultation allowed. Loans allowed (excluded the miscellany). Reproduction allowed.

Arnaldo Della Torre (La Spezia 1876-Florence 1915), historical and literary critic. The collection has been inventoried; the volumes have gone into one of the first sections of the library (of which there is a topographic index, albeit partly damaged by the 1966 flood) without an autonomous placement. The front page of each volume bears the Della Torre ex-libris stamp.

Bernhard Dorn's Oriental book and manuscript collection is particularly remarkable for the presence of Afghan materials. It was purchased in Petersburg in 1883 after long negotiations which were begun in 1879. The size of the material is difficult to quantify because of the dispersion among different sections of the library, such as the section of orientalist miscellany (Miscellanea OA, OB) and I-IV call numbers, corresponding to the same halls of the initial library of the Philology and Philosophy Section of the Institute of Higher Studies. The precious manuscripts remaining are listed in the library manuscript index (see below).

Conservation conditions not known until further inspections. (Presumably) catalogued on card records. Consultation allowed upon authorisation.

Bernhard Dorn (Scheuerfeld, Coburg, 1805-Petersburg 1881): orientalist, lecturer of Oriental Languages at Kharkov University since 1829, then History and Geography of Early Asia and Oriental History and Literature at the Asian Institute in Petersburg. He was the first librarian of the Imperial Library and director of the Asian Museum in Petersburg.

The collection is made up of 1314 volumes of the personal library of actress Marisa Fabbri and of a section of theatre scripts with personal annotations from the artist and also of some handwritten notes.

The collection documents the interests of the collection owner: the drama texts prevail, but the section dedicated to literature is also well endowed. Topics covered include also music literature, sociology, politics, and essays. The donation was received in 2007 by the Humanities Library following the will of Paolo Modugno, the actress's companion.

there is an alphabetical index of the volumes. Consultation allowed.

Marisa Fabbri (Florence 1931-Rome 2003), graduated from the Florence School of Performing Arts and started her activity at the Florentine University Theater. Fabbri was one of the most representative actresses of the Italian theatre in the 1900s, besides being also involved in cinema.

She worked with leading post-war Italian film directors. Among her most significant performances are Pirandello's Mountain Giants, directed by Giorgio Strehler (1966); Dialogues with Leucò from Pavese's book, and Sophocles' Electra, directed by Aldo Trionfo (1964 and 1974 respectively); and above all, the interpretations directed by Luca Ronconi since 1973: Oresteia by Aeschylus, Ignorabinus by Arno Holz, The Three Sisters by Chekhov. The Dialogues of the Carmelites of George Bernanos, The Hard Man by Hugo von Hofmannsthal.

Marisa Fabbri is also remembered for her participation in RAI's radio prose, from the 1950s to the 80s, in the Compagnia di Prosa of Radio Firenze.

The collection was donated to the library directly from the owner. It consists of 1320 volumes, 490 miscellanies and some journals covering essentially psychology and history of psychology.

Good conservation conditions. Catalogue in record format. Consultation allowed. Loans allowed. Reproduction allowed.

Maria Luisa Falorni (Florence 1921-), professor of Psychology at the Faculty of Education from 1975 until her retirement in 1993. The volumes do not have autonomous placement, but they have been merged in the section of the library that houses the topic of psychology (E.20).

The collection has presumably arrived at the library as a donation and has been inventoried in 1943-1944. It includes 269 volumes related to the history of fascism.

Not catalogued. Consultation not allowed until cataloguing is completed.

Stamp on the volumes: Federazione fiorentina Fasci di combattimento-Centro stranieri (Florentine Federation Combat Bands-Foreign Center). The volumes show previous placement. Within each volume, there is a card without a call number but equipped with an inventory number.

The collection, purchased at the request of Pasquale Villari in July 1873, marks the first example of the purchase of a complete collection by the Institute of Higher Studies. It includes 250 volumes from the 16th to the 19th centuries. (Including 8 from the 1500s) of archaeological, Assyrian and linguistic subjects, and also volumes of particular interest for literature and the history of Jewish typography.

Mainly good conservation conditions. Some volumes require restoration work. Catalogue in record format. Consultation allowed. Reproduction allowed upon authorisation.

Collected from the personal library belonging to professor Felice Finzi (Correggio 1840-Florence 1872), Etruscologist, assyriologist, professor of Assyriology at the Royal Institute of Higher Education in Florence, a collaborator of Paolo Mantegazza in the publication of the "Archive for Anthropology and ethnology ".

The collection, purchased in 1915, consists of 980 print volumes from the 16th to the 19th centuries. (Of which from the 16th century). These are monographs of a philological-literary subject in Semitic studies. The majority of the most precious Jewish Bibles held by the Humanities library come from this collection. In 1926 the collection was increased by a subsequent donation of Arabic and Jewish works by Lasinio's son. The documents also record the subsequent legacy of a collection of letters.

Mainly in good conservation conditions. Some volumes require restoration work. Catalogue in record format (books only). Consultation allowed. Reproduction allowed upon authorization. The unsorted correspondence is enclosed in a container.

Collected by Fausto Lasinio (Florence 1831-1914), Semitist, professor of Indo-Germanic Languages (1859-1862) Arabic Language and Literature, Hebrew (1873-1876), Comparative Semitic Languages 1873) at the Royal Institute of Higher Studies in Florence. In 1871, together with other scholars, Lasinio founded the Italian Society for Oriental Studies.

In 1886 he worked with A. De Gubernatis to establish the Italian Asian Society, of which he was president since 1891. In the same years, he was in the committees organising various international congresses and supervising the editing of important journals and compiling catalogues of Oriental manuscripts, thus giving a decisive impetus for the establishment of historical-comparative linguistics and Semitism in Italy and Europe.

The collection does not have a specific placement as Lasinio Collection, but the individual volumes are part of Section IV (former Room IV of the Department of Philology of the Library of the R. Institute of Higher Studies), of which there is topographic index.

The collection (gift of the author's widow Flora Aghib in 1958, with the desire that a centre for romance philology could be established), it consists of 887 volumes, 1597 booklets in boxes, 14 journals (not complete). It is print material from the 1800s to the 1900s, dealing with literature and Neolatin languages (French and especially Spanish classics).

In good conservation conditions. Catalogue in record format (excluding abstracts). Consultation allowed.

Ezio Levi D'Ancona, (Mantova 1884-Boston 1941): philologist, professor of Neolatin Languages and Literature at the University of Palermo and at the University of Naples. He was forced to expatriate due to racial discrimination in 1938. He moved to the United States, where he taught Italian Literature at Wellesley College in Massachusetts. The volumes report the collection stamp on inside title page.

11 manuscripts from the 15th to the 19th century written in the Latin script. They are located in a dedicated section with call number MS. 1-11.

In fair conservation conditions. Consultation allowed.

Under this label are classified manuscripts of various origin only partially listed in the library catalogue. In many cases, it is necessary to assign a new attribution of the origin, because of the numerous dispersion and re-aggregation events of the original collections and the damage of the 1966 flood in Florence, which seriously affected the Library of Humanities causing the loss of numerous materials and the scrambling of many others, do not allow in the present state to accurately classify all residual pieces. The interest in Oriental Studies strongly characterised the Institute of Higher Studies from its origins to about 1920-1930. In fact, in 1863-64, the first Italian chair of Far East Languages, entrusted to Antelmo Severini, was established in Florence. In 1860 Giuseppe Bardelli was called to cover the chair of Sanskrit. From 1874 to 1922, the Institute was the custodian of the Medici's Oriental Printery, which it endowed with Chinese, Japanese, Indian, Lebanese, Devanagari and Hebrew typographical characters so that they could properly edit the entire range of their publications. The Italian Society for Oriental Studies was established within the Institute in 1871, which in 1876 became the Oriental Academy until it was merged into the Italian Asian Society (see the Asian Society Collection and the Lasinio Collection).

Angelo De Gubernatis (Turin 1840-Florence 1913): Orientalist, mythologist, scholar, publisher (founded and supervised numerous journals), since 1862 professor of Sanskrit at the Institute of Higher Studies in Florence, a teaching which he held until 1891. With the materials gathered in his travels to India, with the exception of a large group of manuscripts that had been collected for the National Library, he inaugurated the Indian Museum of Florence and he directed it until 1891. After his transfer to Rome, Paolo Mantegazza took over the direction of the Indian Museum, and he managed to aggregate it to the National Anthropology Museum that he directed. The manuscripts were entrusted to the Library of Humanities; other materials were dispersed among various institutes of the University.

The collection, donated to the library in 1931 by the Marquise Caroline Morelli Wight in memory of her late sister Maria Louise, goddaughter and heir of Spaniard Ambrosio Fernandez Merino, consists of some 5,500 print volumes from the 18th to the 20th centuries. They cover the topics of classical philology, Italian, French, Spanish literature, history, history of religions, history of art, numismatics, geography, philosophy.

In good conservation conditions. Catalogue in record format. Consultation allowed. Loans allowed upon authorisation.

Merino, Ambrosio Fernandez: lawyer and scholar in Malaga, author of the work 'Los gitanos', whose manuscript was donated together with the other material. Many volumes of the collection are included in the reference rooms of some departments. The cover page is stamped with the collection ex-libris. Along with the library, wooden shelves have also been donated, which are now kept in the former boardroom of the Faculty of Humanities (current Rare Books Room). It was expressly forbidden to alienate the collection and the shelving where it was housed. A donor's memorial stone was also requested.

The collection, which has come to the library as a gift, consists of about 50 monographs in addition to journal issues and pamphlets for a total of about 750 pieces. The print volumes of the 1900s are related to modern and contemporary history and the history of the Risorgimento.

Generally fair conservation conditions. Partly flooded. Partially catalogued. An inventory of handwritten papers was drafted by the Tuscan Academy of Sciences and Letters La Colombaria. Online cataloguing of monographs and journal issues still in progress. Consultation allowed for catalogued material only.

Carlo Morandi (Suna, Novara 1904-Florence 1950), a historian, he was a professor of modern history at the University of Florence from 1939 to 1950.

The collection, which came to the library in 1992 by testamentary bequest, consists of about 800 volumes and 5 incomplete journal vintages (10 volumes) of 19- and 20th-century Russian literature in the original language.

In good conservation conditions. Only partly catalogued (automatized cataloguing). Consultation allowed for catalogued material only. Reproduction allowed.

Leone Pacini (Florence 1907-Naples 1990), a professor of Russian language and literature at the Oriental University Institute.

The collection, which came to the library (the Faculty of Humanities inherited Palazzeschi's papers and possessions) as a result of testamentary legacy in 1974, consists of 1,500 volumes, 700 brochures, 31 journals (not complete), 6,182 manuscripts. The books date to the 1900s, including first editions of Aldo Palazzeschi's works, classics of Italian and foreign literature.

In good conservation conditions. The manuscripts are deposited at the Centro Studi 'Aldo Palazzeschi' (Department of Italian Studies) which has been involved in cataloguing. Catalogue in record format (volumes). Consultation allowed. Reproduction allowed upon authorization (only for volumes).

Aldo Palazzeschi (Florence 1885-Rome 1974), pseudonym of Aldo Giurlani, prominent writer.

It is one of the most important Ugro-Finnic collections in Italy.

It includes 1660 volumes, approx. 1700 miscellanies (in 58 boxes) and 54 journals. Subjects covered include Hungarian, Finnish and Estonian language and literature, history and history of Hungarian art. It is accompanied by a catalogue by subject, whose records have been personally written by prof. Palinkas.

Books and miscellaneous are divided into XVI thematic sections.In 2002, a section of 1115 volumes was acquired and merged with the original donation by Palinkas' widow. Of these works, not yet catalogued, a list was drawn up. the volumes show the Palinkas stamp. There are no ex libris.

The volumes are indexed by the owner and bear the original inventory numbers assigned by Palinkas.

The collection is partially catalogued in catalogue of the University of Szeged Library, Hungary

Consultation allowed upon authorisation.

Laszlo Palinkas (Budapest 1910-Florence 1974) Graduated in Budapest in History of Art and Italian Studies, he initially took up the post of Conservation Deputy at the Monument Superintendence. In 1942, he was appointed Hungarian Language and Literature Reader at the University of Florence.

The relationship with the University of Florence became stable after the war, first as a reader (1947), then as a professor of Hungarian Language and Literature.

He founded in Florence at Palazzo Strozzi, near the National Center for Renaissance Studies, a Hungarian Institute of Art History and Humanistic Studies, with its own library. He contributed to the rebuilding of Mattia Corvino Society in Italy and to the revival of the publications of the journal "Corvina" from 1952 to 1956.

His main works include the 'Italian Bibliography of Hungarian Language and Literature' (Rome, 1943).

The collection, purchased from the library [and inventoried in 1980] consists of 867 print volumes from the 1800s to the 1900s of poetry, literary criticism, Italian and German literature, Germanic philology.

In fair conservation conditions. Catalogue in record format. Consultation allowed. Loans allowed. Reproduction permitted upon authorization.

Rodolfo Paoli (Florence 1905-?), A historian of German literature, literary and music critic. Professor of German Language and Literature at the Faculty of Education of the University of Florence.

The collection, donated to the Department in 1986, has about 1600 print volumes from 1880 to 1975 concerning classical philology.

In fair conservation conditions.

Ugo Enrico Paoli (Florence 1884 - 1963), philologist and scholar of antiquity, was a professor of Greek and Roman antiquities at the University of Florence from 1944 to 1950 and Latin literature in 1950-51.

The collection, result of a testamentary legacy of 1964, came to the library through the Cassa di Risparmio. The collection consists of 3,315 volumes and 130 brochures of Italian and foreign literature, history, philosophy and literary criticism all published in the 1800s and 1900s.

In fair conservation conditions (some volumes have been flooded). Catalogue in record format. Consultation, loan and reproduction allowed upon authorization.

Giovanni Papini (Florence 1881 - 1956) was a writer and essayist.

The collection was purchased in 1923 (Parodi had entrusted Pio Rajna with the task of selling his library). It consists of about 4,000 print volumes from the 16th to the 20th centuries, on dialectology, philology, literary criticism, literature, history and philosophy, and about 24,500 papers (in 51 containers). In the literary section of the collection, there are prestigious autographic works belonging to important literates and prominent figures of the Italian culture of the previous century (including the autograph dedications of Ungaretti, Palazzeschi, Marinetti).

In fair conservation conditions (some of the cards are flooded). the volumes are catalogued with card records. The papers catalogue has been curated by the Tuscan Academy of Sciences and Letters La Colombaria. Consultation and reproduction of the volumes are allowed. Consultation only for papers.

Ernesto Giacomo Parodi (Genoa 1862 - Florence 1923), philologist and critic, glottologist, dialectologist, Dante scholar (between 1906 and 1921 he directed the Bulletin of the Italian Dante Society), he held the chair of Comparative History of Classical and Neolatin Languages at The Royal Institute of Higher Studies in Florence since 1892. The title page of the volumes reports the stamp of the collection.

The collection came to the library by donation. It includes 93 volumes dating from the 18th to the 20th century of historical-literary subjects.

Fair conservation conditions. Catalogue in record format. Consultation, loan and reproduction allowed.

Ermenegildo Pistelli (Camaiore 1862-Florence 1927), Piarist father, classical philologist, papyrologist and writer. He studied in Florence with Girolamo Vitelli. He taught Latin and Greek at the Royal Institute of Higher Studies from 1903 to 1904 until his death.

The volumes are placed in the current Section XVIII (former XVIII hall of the Library of the Royal Institute of Higher Studies) and bear the stamp 'Dono Pistelli'. Some volumes are dedicated to Pistelli or by Pistelli to the Library.

The collection was purchased in 1942 on the basis of professors Battisti and Devoto's request [inventoried in 1943-44] and constitutes a true 'unicum' for Slavic studies in Italy. The original documents mention 1141 volumes and 1485 brochures, but the collection consists of about 470 volumes, 277 loose brochures and 2 journals (not complete) of Slavic literature, history and philology, mainly from the 1800s and 1900s, with some volumes of 1700s.

In the original estimate of the collection, it is stated that particular attention is dedicated to Dalmatia and that the collection all the most important works of Serbian-Croatian area published between 1918 and 1939.

In good conservation conditions. Catalogue in record format. Consultation, loans and reproduction allowed.

Milan Resetar (Ragusa of Dalmatia 1860 - Florence 1942), Slavic scholar and philologist, honorary Graduate of the University of Florence. A machine-typed list of the works contained in the collection is available.

The collection came to the library in 1998 for the donation of the heirs of Atsuko Ricca Suga, notable writer and scholar of Japanese literature. It includes 1724 volumes relating to Japanese literature and is currently being re-organised.

Consultation not allowed until the material is completely inventoried.

The collection, consisting of 4727 volumes, testifies of the many interests of the owner: firstly dramaturgy and the performing arts, then music (with a section dedicated to musical scores), literature, sociology, essay, politics.

The material was donated in 2007 to the main branch of the Humanities Library, upon the will of the Rimini family and by Costanza Rimini, sister of Ruggero.

In good conservation conditions. Access to the collection is permitted. There is a list of volumes.

Ruggero Rimini (1947-1976), the nephew of Luigi Russo, literate and scholar of history and performing arts, graduated in Arts in Florence under the supervision of Ludovico Zorzi with a thesis on Italo Svevo, then published for the types of Olschki within the Theatre imprint. He worked as a theater director, participating in important productions by Zeffirelli, Visconti, Fersen.

This collection is the result of a testament bond dated February 1910. It consists of 2,295 volumes of Italian history, Italian literature, Latin literature, philosophy, law. The collection mainly includes works from the 1800s to 1900s. There are also 14 volumes from the 1500s (in a dedicated section) and some volumes of the 1600s and 1700s.

In good conservation conditions. Catalogue in record format. Consultation allowed. Loans allowed. Reproduction allowed.

Fedele Romani (Colledara, Teramo, 1855 - Florence 1910), contract lecturer at the Royal Institute of Higher Studies in Florence. The collection was donated to the Institute of Higher Studies along with Romani's papers (a box of hand- and typewritten notes) and shelves, with the clause that they should be kept in a dedicated room.

The gift of the son of Giacomo Devoto, arriving at the library around 1970 (according to Tomaso Urso), the collection consists of 1,660 volumes and 8 journals (not complete) from the 1800s to the 1900s (including some volumes of the 1600s and 1700s) related to Italian history, Italian literature, Latin literature, philosophy, law.

In good conservation conditions. Catalogue in record format. Consultation allowed. Loans allowed. Reproduction allowed.

The library probably belonged to the father-in-law of professor Giacomo Devoto (as communicated by Tomaso Urso).

Complex and still controversial the events surrounding this collection, all yet to be researched. this is but a small part of Salvemini's books, which were originally offered in 1925 at the University of Florence, with the exception of the books already possessed by the Faculty (which he proposed to sell in order to make new purchases). Initially accepted, the donation was subsequently rejected for political reasons and its confiscation was even proposed. In 1925 Salvemini resigned from his post as professor at the University of Florence; he was then reinstated in 1945. The collection seems to have been finally acquired by the University, as it appears that the volumes were inventoried in the years 1948-50. It is difficult to define the exact mode of acquisition and, above all, the relationship between these materials and the extensive personal library of prof. Salvemini, sold by the owner to the Widener Library, Harvard University, during his stay in the United States of America.

In good conservation conditions. Consultation allowed. Loans allowed. Reproduction allowed.

Gaetano Salvemini (Molfetta 1873 - Sorrento 1957): historian, professor of Modern History in Messina from 1902 to 1910, then in Pisa from 1910 to 1916, finally in Florence at the Institute of Higher Studies, then University, from 1917 to 1925. In 1925 he left Italy for political reasons and was deprived of citizenship. It is difficult to determine the size of the collection, certainly not very conspicuous. The volumes do not have a specific collocation but are assigned to sections X, XI, XIX.

Donated by the widow Lea Salvini in honour of the will repeatedly expressed by the owner, the collection arrived in the library in 1986. It consists of about 5,000 volumes and documents the historical-artistic discipline at all times and under all critical profiles, extending also to historical, literary and artistic disciplines; It also includes all the writings of R. Salvini, including numerous reviews of art history works appeared in the most important art journals of the 20th century in Italy and abroad.

In good conservation conditions. The collection is deposited at the SAGAS Department (History of Arts, Geography, Archaeology and Performing Arts) in a specific unit named after its donor. Separate card record catalogue (Art History Reading Rooms). Consultation allowed. Loans not allowed. Reproduction allowed upon authorisation.

Roberto Salvini (Florence 1912 - 1985), art historian and art critic. In 1937 he was Inspector of the Royal Superintendence of Trento; in 1939 he supervised the Galleries of Sicily, then in the galleries of Modena and Reggio Emilia. He was director of the Uffizi Gallery and promoter of the restoration of the primitive art section. Professor of Art History first in Palermo, then in Trieste (1955), finally in Florence (1963-1982), he took up the chair that had been of Roberto Longhi. In Florence, he was, until his death, director of the Institute of Art History, which he moved to its current location. Salvini established the library, which was organised with the same criteria used for his private library. There is a topographic catalogue of the collection. The volumes present the ex libris "Donation Roberto Salvini".

Received as a gift (1915?), the collection consists of 400 volumes of historical-religious and Jewish subjects, published between the sixteenth and nineteenth centuries. (There is also one volume of the 1500s) and 700 miscellanies.

In good conservation conditions. Catalogue in record format. Consultation allowed. Reproduction allowed upon authorization.

Professor Francesco Scerbo (1849 - 1927), a philologist, Hebrew scholar and a Biblical Hebrew professor at the Royal Institute of Higher Studies in Florence since 1903, back in 1895 he was put in charge of the reorganisation of the Oriental typographical characters of the Institute. A stamp with the collection name appears on the title page of the volumes.

The scientific books of Moritz Schiff, illustrious physiologist, were donated to the library by his daughter-in-law, Mario's wife, in 1917. In the same year, the Institute of Higher Studies acquired Mario Schiff's collection of books and papers. The collection consists of 1,876 volumes and 2 (incomplete) journals vintages of the 18th-19th centuries relating to human anatomy and comparative anatomy, physiology, animal physics and zoology, Italian literature, philosophy and especially modern French literature, Spanish literature, German literature, that is, those foreign literatures that had been little represented until then in the collections of the Institute; It also includes a series of letters.

In good conservation conditions. Catalogue in record format (the volumes). The correspondence is yet to be re-ordered. Consultation, loans and reproductions allowed for the volumes only. Consultation of the papers allowed upon authorisation.

Moritz Schiff (Frankfurt am Mainz 1823 - Geneva 1896), professor of physiology at the Royal Institute of Higher Studies of Florence from 1863 to 1876. Mario Schiff (died Florence, 1915), professor of French at the Royal Institute of Higher Studies. A stamp with the collection name appears on the title page of the volumes.

Left in inheritance by Ernesto Sestan to his student, professor Giovanni Cherubini, the collection was donated in 2010 to the Humanities Library and placed in the closed stack in the main branch in Piazza Brunelleschi. It consists of about 4,500 miscellanies, including extracts from journals and monographs, stored in containers of three different sizes. This material enriches the Library with its broad range of themes covered: predominantly essays of European history embracing the entire period from the Middle Ages to the 20th century, and also studies of historiography, geography, law, linguistics, literature. In particular, a substantial part is occupied by documents on the Italian Risorgimento and Irredentism. The value of the collection is increased by the presence, in the majority of the miscellany, of autograph dedications of well-known scholars of the twentieth century, all addressed to Ernesto Sestan.

Cataloguing in progress; it is in a fair state of conservation. For consultation only (the part catalogued so far), and reproduction only by photography.

Ernesto Sestan (1898-1986): Professor of medieval and modern history. Born in Trento from a family of Istrian origins, he graduated in medieval history in Florence with Gaetano Salvemini. In the 1930s he was a history editor at the Encyclopaedia Italiana (in close contact with Gioacchino Volpe) and then secretary at the Royal Academy of Italy. He was also an editor of the Italian Historical Magazine until the postwar period. In 1948 he became a university professor, holding the chair first in Cagliari, then in Pisa and finally in Florence. In this latter city, he was also Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Philosophy. He also held the post of Director of the Italian Historical Archives until his death.

The collection came to the Library in 1938 and includes materials belonging to the Italian Society for the diffusion and encouragement of classical studies (Athens and Rome). A further investigation may reveal whether the collection includes materials belonging to Ettore Bignone, one of its presidents, which, allegedly, were donated to the Library. It includes 103 volumes of various topics, magazine issues, 33 miscellaneous boxes related to Greek and Latin literature.

Catalogue in record format. Consultation, loan and reproduction allowed. On the spine of the volumes there is a label with 'Biblioteca Società classica studi Firenze'. Inside, the books are stamped with 'Athens and Rome, Società italiana per la diffusione e l'incoraggiamento degli studi classici. President Prof. Ettore Bignone.

The Italian Society for the Spread and Encouragement of Classical Studies was founded in Florence in 1897 also for the purpose of promoting conferences, public readings and artistic-archeological excursions. Its first president was Girolamo Vitelli; Domenico Comparetti was also one of them. The books of the latter were merged with the material belonging to the Library of the Classical Society and were shelved into the rooms of the Institute of Higher Studies.

Ettore Bignone (Pinerolo 1879-Florence 1953), professor of Greek literature in Palermo and from 1925 of Greek and Latin literature in Florence, was a member of the Italian Academy, author of important essays on Greek and Latin poetry and a history of Latin literature. Bignone became the director of the Italian Society for the diffusion and encouragement of classical studies (Athens and Rome) in 1933.

A gift from Mrs Angela Romagnoli Tarozzi, the collection consists of 311 volumes and 607 brochures (loose or stored in boxes) mainly from the 1800s and 1900s, some from the 1700s, on philosophy. An unspecified number of brochures is still to be inventoried and catalogued.

In good conservation conditions. Catalogue in record format. Consultation allowed. Loans allowed. Reproduction allowed.

Giuseppe Tarozzi (Turin 1866-Padua 1958), philosopher. There is also a Tarozzi collection in the Education Library branch.

The collection, which came to the library partly as a purchase (1914) and partly as a gift from Tocco's son Roberto (1947), was deemed by a panel of judges extremely interesting because he documented "the highest production of philosophical thought of the last fifty years of our nation" and for the attention to foreign philosophical production as well as to the religious history of the Middle Ages. It consists of 2078 works and 3579 brochures (800 and 900, some of the 600), 56 manuscripts (lectures notes and publications, transcriptions of codices and documents, notes, manuscripts from the years 1870-1910). The disciplines covered include psychology, pedagogy, anthropology, history and literature.

In good conservation conditions. Catalogue in record format (the volumes); For the manuscripts, a dedicated catalogue has been produced by the Tuscan Academy of Sciences and Letters La Colombaria and it was published in 1991. Consultation, loan and reproduction permitted for volumes. For the manuscripts, only the consultation is allowed.

Felice Tocco (Catanzaro 1845-Florence 1911), philosopher, anthropologist, historian of philosophy and culture, professor of anthropology at the University of Rome since 1871, then of history of philosophy at the University of Pisa and the Royal Institute of Higher Studies in Florence. A stamp with the collection name appears on the title page of the volumes.

The collection is divided into two units. The first includes about 1500 volumes and journals, dealing with literary as well as different topics and 2 containers of various material yet to be sorted; this section has not yet been inventoried and is deposited at the head offices of the library of Humanities, in Piazza Brunelleschi. The second unit (about 1,300 volumes concerning the history of European art, particularly North-European) includes the material specifically on art which was part of the private library of Charles de Tolnay, already located in his apartment in via Ghibellina within the Casa Buonarroti. A part of this unit was inherited (a collection Charles de Tolnay, essentially of material on Michelangelo, is owned by Casa Buonarroti) by Antoine de Revay, who put it up for sale in 1982, proposing it to the University of Florence. The art collection was purchased by the Region of Tuscany on behalf of the University. In 1990 a contract was formalised between the Region of Tuscany and the newly established Department of Art History and Performing Arts; the collection has not been inventoried yet.

In good conservation conditions. The art history volumes are in the History of Art reading rooms of the Department of History, Archaeology, Geography, Fine and Performing Arts (SAGAS). Catalogued in SBN. Consultation allowed upon authorisation.

Tolnay, Charles de (Budapest 1899-Florence 1981) art historian and art critic, a well-known scholar of Michelangelo. Director of Casa Buonarroti from 1965 to 1981. A stamp with the name "Collection C. Tolnay" appears on the title page of the volumes.

There is a list of the art subject books of the collection, written on commission by Professor Roberto Salvini on the occasion of the acquisition of the volumes by the University. The list reproduces the original collocations wanted by C. Tolnay.

Naturally inherited by the University of Florence, following the abolition of the Acting School and the closing of the Luigi Cherubini University Theatre, the collection was subsequently handed over to the Faculty of Humanities. The library constituted the teaching and scientific support for the School of Declamation, then Acting; It represents a precious collection of theatrical plays between the 18th and the first half of the 20th century and also includes works of theatre technique. Numerous play scripts are collected in folders. It consists of 1,675 volumes, about 1,600 booklets in boxes and 156 loose brochures and leaflets, on the history of theatre and music. The collection is equipped with a catalogue in Staderini cards format held in seven containers, probably completed in 1951. The volumes were largely inventoried in 1991.

In fair conservation conditions. Special catalogue of print volumes compiled in the form of a graduate thesis (miscellany not included).

The Teatro Universitario L. Cherubini was born in 1946 with an agreement between the University, the Conservatory of Music and the Academy of Fine Arts. It was the heir to the long Florentine theatrical tradition housed in the building of Via Laura, which had already begun to appear in the " At the beginning of the nineteenth century, the Declamation School, then Acting, the Ministry of Education joined the Florentine Institute of Music under the name 'Cherubini'. Between 1881 and 1918 the school was directed by Luigi Rasi. Since 1934, the venues hosted the GUF's Experimental Theater. The collection is partially inventoried. Different stamps on volumes attest to the various ownerships of the collection. The volumes are marked with the original call numbers.

The collection, left in 1935 by Girolamo Vitelli to the Papyrology Cabinet, contains about 4,000 volumes, 500 brochures and 1,500 abstracts of papyrology, archaeology and classical literature, many of which, along with the autographed dedication of the author to Vitelli, carry critical notes of the latter in the books' margins.

In good conservation conditions. The entire collection is held by the Istituto Papirologico 'G. Vitelli'. Some of his handwritten notes (Papyrus transcripts, metric and critique notes, poems) and different documents are awaiting reorganisation. Catalogue in record format (the volumes). Consultation allowed. Reproduction allowed upon authorisation.

Girolamo Vitelli (Santa Croce del Sannio, Benevento, 1849- Spotorno, Savona, 1935), a classical philologist and papyrologist, assistant professor at the Royal Institute of Higher Studies in Florence since 1874, adjoint professor of Greek and Latin grammar from 1878, Vitelli becomes in 1882 full professor of Greek paleography, Greek and Latin languages. He then replaced Comparetti in 1887 in the chair of Greek language and literature, which he held until 1915 when he retired from teaching to dedicate himself entirely to the study of papyrology.

collection acquired by the library for usucapion. It consists of approximately 1,350 volumes from the beginning of the 17th century to the beginning of the 19th, with a prevalence of works from the 18th century, and of 2 volumes of the 16th c. These are religious works (theology, morality, sacred history, liturgy and hagiography).

In fair conservation conditions. Original bindings. Partially catalogued (on card record). Consultation allowed.

The books were found during maintenance work. They were not kept in a separate section but included in the section of History of Christianity.

The collection, donated to the library [and inventoried in 1976], consists of 813 print volumes, some of the 1900s, some of the 1800s. The subjects covered are Italian, Russian, German and French literature, playful literature, poetry, anecdotal history, essays on politics, art and art criticism, encyclopaedias, philosophy.

In fair conservation conditions. Catalogue in record format. Consultation allowed. Loans allowed. Reproduction allowed upon authorisation.

Giovanni Costetti (Reggio Emilia 1874-Settignano 1949), painter linked to the Pistoia group of the early 1900s.

The collection, a gift of his wife [and invented in 1984], consists of 904 print volumes of the 1900s concerning Italian literature (especially poetry written also by art critics or painters, popular poetry in dialect).

In fair conservation conditions. Catalogue in record format. Consultation allowed. Loans allowed. Reproduction allowed upon authorisation.

Alfonso Gatto (1909-1976), Hermetic poet.

The collection, donated by the family [and inventoried in 1984], consists of 1,340 volumes from the 1800s to the 1900s of philosophy of science and logic, morals, politics, linguistics, mathematics, geometry, biology.

In good conservation conditions, The collection was bound in 1990. The antique texts keep the original bindings. Catalogue in record format. Consultation allowed. Loans allowed. Reproduction allowed upon authorisation.

Giulio Preti (1911-1972), professor of philosophy at the faculty of the Education of the University of Florence.

The collection, a gift from the family [and inventoried in 1985], consists of 1,797 print volumes from 1800 to 1939 (three of the 1700s) dealing with moral education, political economy, philosophy, psychology, linguistics and poetry.

In good conservation conditions. Catalogue in record format. Consultation allowed. Loans allowed. Reproduction allowed upon authorisation.

Tarozzi, Giuseppe, philosopher (Turin 1866 - Padua 1958); pupil of Ardigò and professor of philosophy at the University of Bologna.

The collection, donated by its owner in 1997, consists of 1,400 volumes from the '50s to the '80s and numerous magazine issues. The disciplines covered are pedagogy, didactics, psychology of the developmental age. Some children's books from the early twentieth century.

In good conservation conditions.

Mario Valeri (1924-), professor at the Faculty of Education at the University of Florence.

The collection, donated by its owner in 1969, consists of 6,022 volumes from the 1800s to the 1900s, some of the 1700s, including a rare text by L.A. Muratori of 1735. The topics covered include pedagogy, philosophy, history and philosophy of religions, psychology, psychoanalysis, economy, law, art, history, literature.

In fair conservation conditions. Catalogue in record format. Consultation allowed. Loans allowed. Reproduction allowed upon authorisation.

Giacomo Vertova (1888-1969), philosophy high school teacher.

The collection, purchased by the BNCF from the heirs, has been in the library of geography since the 1930s. It consists of 1,300 volumes of which 111 are rare; 558 geographic maps (some of them in several sheets); 213 containers; 57 volumes of brochures, 320 volumes of various journals. The material of geographic subject is mainly from the 1800s and the 1900s.

In fair conservation conditions. Catalogue in record format. Consultation allowed (upon authorisation for rare books). Reproduction allowed upon authorisation.

Giovanni Marinelli (Udine 1846-Florence 1900) Geographer, professor of geography at the Royal Institute of Higher Studies in Florence from 1893 to 1900. Olinto Marinelli (Udine 1876-Florence 1926) son of Giovanni, geographer, professor of geography in Florence from 1902 to 1926.

The collection, acquired with the contribution C.N.R. In 1966-67, includes 470 volumes of the 1800s and 1900s, 360 journals, 260 microfilms, 1 container of various material relating to Italian emigration to the United States and the rest of the American continent (Brazil, etc.).

In good conservation conditions. Catalogue in record format (special catalogue). A container of photographs and brochures is still to be inventoried and catalogued. Consultation and loan allowed for books only. Reproduction allowed upon authorisation.

The original core of the collection has been increased with subsequent donations and purchases.

The collection, donated by Charles Farnsley in 1967-69, consists of around 24,000 opaque microcards that reproduce 4,000 rare and out-of-the-print works that relate to the history of the United States of America, travels and discoveries in North America. The originals are mostly preserved at the Library of Congress in Washington.

In good conservation conditions. Partially catalogued (on card record). Consultation allowed upon authorisation. Reproduction allowed upon authorisation.

Farnsley, Charles (1907-1990) American MP and president of Lost Cause Press.

The collection, owned by the Library of Humanities since 1939, has been transferred to the new headquarters of the Psychology Library Branch, annexed to the Department of Psychology in Via San Salvi, considered the most suitable venue to host the book collection of one of the founding fathers of the discipline. As a branch of the Humanities Library, the Library of Psychology was inaugurated on March 16, 2009, at the same time as the Humanities branch that remains in the Piazza Brunelleschi complex. The collection consists of over 2500 volumes which are divided into 6 sections marked with numbers I-VI. It also consists of 668 brochures in 27 containers, 123 journals (uncomplete vintages, 94 of which are Italian and 29 foreign. The journals are still in storage at the Humanities branch). The material is mostly from the 19th and 20th centuries, but there are older editions. The disciplines covered include philosophy, history of sciences, pedagogy and psychology, history, history of religions.

In fair conservation conditions. Catalogue in record format. Consultation allowed upon authorisation.Loans allowed upon authorisation. Reproduction allowed upon authorisation.

Francesco De Sarlo (San Chirico Raparo, Potenza, 1864-Florence 1937), philosopher, professor of theoretical philosophy at the Royal Institute of Higher Studies in Florence from 1900 to 1933. In 1903 he inaugurated the Laboratory of Experimental Psychology. The cover page of the volumes shows the "Fondo De Sarlo" stamp. There is a topographic inventory of the collection.

Consisting of 366 volumes and about 50 printed brochures from 1900 to 1960 on psychology, pedagogy, medicine.

In good conservation conditions. Catalogue in record format. Partially catalogued in SBN format. Consultation allowed. Loans allowed. Reproduction allowed.

The collection consists of 162 volumes published from the end of the 1800s to the early 1900s and they mainly cover the subject of psychology.

In fair conservation conditions. Catalogue in record format and in SBN. Consultation allowed. Loans allowed. Reproduction allowed.

The collection (a testament legacy of 1995) consists of 700 volumes and brochures from 1940 to 1980 concerning psychology, pedagogy and linguistics.

In good conservation conditions. Catalogue in record format in SBN. Consultation allowed. Loans allowed. Reproduction allowed.

Lydia Tornatore (Palermo 1927-), professor of Pedagogy in Florence from 1980 to 1994.

The collection, originating from various sources, consists of 3,415 volumes. More than half are antique editions, from the end of the 1500s (at least the 6 books of the XVIth century), relating to religious matters; modern volumes also cover topics related to history, art and literature, with prevailing educational and pedagogical purpose.

In fairly good conservation state. The material is all indexed and is awaiting reorganisation and cataloguing.