The Oxford Illustrated History of Italy - Illustrated Edition.

The name Italy evokes history and splendor. Toga-clad Romans, sweeping vistas of vineyards and olive groves, the majesty of a Papal mass, Dante's Comedia, and Leonardo's haunting Mona Lisa. Few nations can boast as rich an artistic and cultural legacy, and yet, the concept of Italy as a single, autonomous political entity is a young one, dating back a mere 125 years. In The Oxford History of Italy, two millennia of political turmoil and artistic glory are brought to life. Written by twelve leading scholars, this attractively designed volume paints a vivid portrait that ranges from the first hints of a nascent Italian consciousness, to the Fascist struggles of the twentieth. 

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The Pursuit of Italy.

Did Garibaldi do Italy a disservice when he helped its disparate parts achieve unity? Was the goal of political unification a mistake? The question is asked and answered in a number of ways in The Pursuit of Italy, an engaging, original consideration of the many histories that contribute to the brilliance―and weakness―of Italy today. Gilmour shows that the glory of Italy has always lain in its regions, with their distinctive art, civic cultures, identities, and cuisines. Italy's inhabitants identified themselves not as Italians but as Tuscans and Venetians, Sicilians and Lombards, Neapolitans and Genoese. Italy's strength and culture still come from its regions rather than from its misconceived, mishandled notion of a unified nation.

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A Concise History of Italy - Second Edition.

Since its formation in 1861, Italy has struggled to develop an effective political system and a secure sense of national identity. This new edition of Christopher Duggan's acclaimed introduction charts the country's history from the fall of the Roman Empire in the west to the present day and surveys the difficulties Italy has faced during the last two centuries in forging a nation state.

This second edition has been thoroughly revised and updated to offer increased coverage of nineteenth- and twentieth-century Italy, as well as a new section devoted to Italy in the twenty-first century.

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The Italian Americans: A History 

This richly researched, beautifully illustrated volume illuminates an important, overlooked part of American history.

Looking beyond the familiar Little Italys and stereotypes fostered by The Godfather and The Sopranos, Laurino reveals surprising, fascinating lives: Italian-Americans working on sugar-cane plantations in Louisiana to those who were lynched in New Orleans; the banker who helped rebuild San Francisco after the great earthquake; families interned as “enemy aliens” in World War II. From anarchist radicals to “Rosie the Riveter” to Nancy Pelosi, Andrew Cuomo, and Bill de Blasio; from traditional artisans to rebel songsters like Frank Sinatra, Dion, Madonna, and Lady Gaga, this book is both exploration and celebration of the rich legacy of Italian-American life.

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Terroni 

How the flourishing Italian South -competing only with the French and British empires- was destroyed by the north in the name of Italian Risorgimento (Unification).

In a passionate and polemical manner, Pino Aprile's "Terroni" examines the effect that the unification of Italy has had on Southern Italy and analyzes what some of the ramifications are today. A bestseller in Italy, the book sold more than 200,000 copies in its first year of print.

"I had no idea of the massacres, rapes and sackings which took place in the South in the name of RISORGIMENTO (Unification).  There was never any mention, as far as I am aware, of the North backing the Risorgimento for the sole purpose of oppressing the South. Terroni is full of the horrors of civil war, and today the oppression of the South by the North continues. Aprile even discusses the possibility that the ‘elitist’ North is doing everything in its power to divide Italy in half and jettison the South. Thank you Pino Aprile for the courage you have shown in writing this book and for bringing us the ‘other side’ of the Risorgimento."

-Anne Frandi-Coory 23 January 2013

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The Medici.

A vivid, dramatic, and authoritative account of perhaps the most influential family in Italian history: the Medici.

A dazzling history of the modest family that rose to become one of the most powerful in Europe, The Medici is a remarkably modern story of power, money, and ambition. Against the background of an age that saw the rebirth of ancient and classical learning Paul Strathern explores the intensely dramatic rise and fall of the Medici family in Florence, as well as the Italian Renaissance which they did so much to sponsor and encourage.

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The Diario of Christopher Columbus's First Voyage to America, 1492–1493.

This definitive edition of Columbus’s account of the voyage presents the most accurate printed version of his journal available to date. Unfortunately both Columbus’s original manuscript, presented to Ferdinand and Isabella along with other evidence of his discoveries, and a single complete copy have been lost for centuries. The primary surviving record of the voyage–part quotation, part summary of the complete copy–is a transcription made by Bartolomé de las Casas in the 1530s.Study of the work is further facilitated by extensive notes, documenting differences between the editors’ transcription and translation and those of other transcribers and translators and summarizing current research and debates on unanswered current research and debates on unanswered questions concerning the voyage.

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1909: THE CHRONICLE OF AN ITALIAN IMMIGRANT

116 years ago, Domenico, known as "Micu," left Calabria with his heart full of hope and the determination of a man who dares to dream of a better future. On March 4, 1909, he boarded a train in Gerace Marina, his destination Naples, where the ship Europa waited to carry him legally across the vast, unknown ocean to America.

But this is not just Micu’s story, this is a story of Italian immigration, like millions of others in the early 1900s, is full of hope and struggle. Families leave their homes with nothing but dreams of a better life in America. They push through, working hard to build a future for their children. Through all the hardships, they never forget where they came from, carrying their Italian roots and strength in every step they take.

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The Last Voyage of Columbus

The Year is 1500. Christopher Columbus, stripped of his title Admiral of the Ocean Seas, waits in chains in a Caribbean prison built under his orders, looking out at the colony that he founded, nurtured, and ruled for eight years. Less than a decade after discovering the New World, he has fallen into disgrace, accused by the royal court of being a liar, a secret Jew, and a foreigner who sought to steal the riches of the New World for himself.

Columbus plots for one great escape, one last voyage to the ends of the earth, one final chance to prove himself. What follows is one of history's most epic -- and forgotten -- adventures. Columbus himself would later claim that his fourth voyage was his greatest.  He would battle to survive amid mutiny, war, and a shipwreck that left him stranded on a desert isle for almost a year. On his tail were his enemies, sent from Europe to track him down. In front of him: the unknown.

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The Complete Pompeii. 

The dramatic story of Pompeii's destruction has been handed down to us by Roman writers, its paintings and mosaics have astonished visitors since their discovery in the eighteenth century, and its houses and public buildings to this day present a vivid picture of life, disaster, and death in a Roman town.

With its lavish illustrations, covering monumental architecture and inscriptions, shops, graffiti, wall-paintings, and mosaics, plus its numerous box features ranging from theatrical entertainments to water supply, The Complete Pompeii is the ultimate resource and inspirational guide to this iconic ancient town.

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DUAL LANGUAGE BOOK - English + Italian

The Origins of the Name Italia: A Tale Between History and Legend

Le Origini del Nome Italia: Un Racconto tra Storia e Leggenda

Who first introduced the name Italia, and what meaning did it hold?

Exploring the history of the name Italia is a journey through centuries and landscapes. From the sunlit fields of Calabria, where king Italus is said to have left the mark of his reign, to the vibrant cities of Greece and Rome, where the name accrued prestige and universal significance, the path leads us through the shadows of myths and the light of historical records. This is simply a story, much like the ones from distant times, meant to spark a sense of wonder and curiosity about the fascinating origin of the name Italia.

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Chi diede origine al nome Italia? Quale significato portava con sé?

Esplorare la storia del nome Italia significa immergersi in un viaggio che attraversa secoli e paesaggi. Dai campi soleggiati della Calabria, dove re Italus avrebbe lasciato il segno del suo regno, fino alle città vivaci della Grecia e di Roma, dove il nome si caricò di prestigio e significati universali, il percorso ci guida tra le ombre dei miti e la luce dei documenti storici. Questo non è un saggio storico o politico, né un trattato per esperti del settore. Si tratta semplicemente di un racconto, come quelli di una volta, inteso a suscitare un po' di magia e curiosità intorno all'affascinante origine del nome Italia. 

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Growing Up Italian-American: The Memoirs of Ferdinand Visco & The Stories of Two Immigrant Italian Families.

Updated in 2025, Growing Up Italian American is a warm, compelling, and richly illustrated book that follows the lives of three generations of two Italian American families from the late1800s to the present.

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A History of Rome - 4th Edition

Spanning 1,300 years, this popular history of Rome has been thoroughly revised and updated, reinforcing its stature as an indispensable resource on the history and enduring influence of one of the world's greatest empires.

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