On March 5, scholar, rseaercher, and bibliographer James Periconi will discuss his landmark book Strangers in a Strange Land: A History of Italian-Language American Imprints, 1830–1945. With essays by Robert Viscusi, Francesco Durante, and Martino Marazzi this is a beaurifully illustrated catalogue of the Italian-language book-publishing industry that began in the nineteenth century and flourished in the United States in the fifty years before World War II. This industry created and reflected a vibrant national literary and political culture among a broad spectrum of Italian Americans living and working in the United States. The publishers included the Società Libraria Italiana, or Italian Book Company -- which published poet Riccardo Cordiferro and author Bernardino Ciambelli -- and numerous political presses, such as Libreria Editrice dei Lavoratori Industriali del Mondo (the IWW press), for the militant socialists and anarchists of the Italian-American community.

Tuesday, March 5, 2013
6:00 pm -07:30 pm
The John D. Calandra Italian American Institute
25 West 43 Street
New York
Free and open to the public.