The Periodical Life of Modernity
Sonzogno's First Century (1804-1909)
Published on 14. April 2026
Book
Hardback
304 pages
978-1-4875-8012-4 (ISBN)
Description
The Milan-based publishing firm Sonzogno was an essential yet historically overlooked cultural player in nineteenth-century Italy. Positioning Sonzogno as both exceptional in its commercial success and emblematic of an entire cultural landscape, The Periodical Life of Modernity investigates the emergence of modern print culture in Italy and underscores the significance of periodicity as a key lens for understanding this transformative period.
Combining archival research, media studies, digital humanities tools, and a historical approach to ideas, technologies, and texts, The Periodical Life of Modernity illustrates how Sonzogno helped establish Italian print modernity, contributing to a new professional role for the publisher, a reconfiguration of the notion of news and of the role of readers in the public sphere, an aggressive interaction with the international print market, and an exponential development of the musical publishing business.
Analyzing the extraordinary output of Sonzogno's Stabilimento - from illustrated book series to satirical weeklies, from national dailies to musical collections - The Periodical Life of Modernity offers a new understanding of the role of commercial publishers within Italian culture, as well as a critical discussion on what accessibility, democratization, and the "popular" really mean.
Combining archival research, media studies, digital humanities tools, and a historical approach to ideas, technologies, and texts, The Periodical Life of Modernity illustrates how Sonzogno helped establish Italian print modernity, contributing to a new professional role for the publisher, a reconfiguration of the notion of news and of the role of readers in the public sphere, an aggressive interaction with the international print market, and an exponential development of the musical publishing business.
Analyzing the extraordinary output of Sonzogno's Stabilimento - from illustrated book series to satirical weeklies, from national dailies to musical collections - The Periodical Life of Modernity offers a new understanding of the role of commercial publishers within Italian culture, as well as a critical discussion on what accessibility, democratization, and the "popular" really mean.
Reviews / Votes
"A brilliant exploration of Italian print modernity, this book charts Sonzogno's visionary innovations in newspapers, serialized fiction, and periodicals. Valisa shows how nineteenth-century media practices - shaped by technology, ideology, and readership - anticipate today's digital information systems. Insightful and rigorously argued, it is essential reading for anyone seeking to understand the origins and enduring dynamics of modern media culture." - Stefano Bragato, Independent Researcher"The Periodical Life of Modernity is a monograph for our times, a rare instance of insight into the evolution of media that explains the present moment through a clear-headed understanding of the past." - Clorinda Donato, California State University, Long Beach
"Silvia Valisa is the leading authority on publisher Sonzogno. The Periodical Life of Modernity fills a significant gap in Italy's intellectual history and moves beyond encyclopedic volumes to set a new standard for scholars studying individual publishers." - Ombretta Frau, Mount Holyoke College
"Silvia Valisa's in-depth study of Il Secolo, along with some of its ancillary content, is dedicated to a nuanced study of the vast and varied production of the publishing firm Sonzogno. The Periodical Life of Modernity provides a unique vantage point from which the complexities of Italian culture during the turn of the century can be gleaned. Valisa offers a groundbreaking interrogation of nineteenth-century print culture that far exceeds national limits and that will prove to be seminal to scholars of the history of publishing across Europe." - Giancarlo Lombardi, City University of New York
More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
Toronto
Canada
Target group
College/higher education
Professional and scholarly
Product notice
sewn/stitched
Cloth over boards
Illustrations
14 illustrations
Dimensions
Height: 232 mm
Width: 156 mm
Thickness: 26 mm
Weight
476 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-4875-8012-4 (9781487580124)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Person
Silvia Valisa is associate professor of Italian Studies at Florida State University.
Content
Preface
Acknowledgments
Introduction
1. "With the Utmost Diligence": Giambattista Sonzogno's Raccolta de' viaggi (1815-1832) and the Birth of an editore
2. "All that Could be Useful, Instructive or Comforting": L'emporio Pittoresco and the Rising Power of Periodicals in Mid-Nineteenth Century Italy
3. The Periodical Life of Modernity: Il Secolo and the Creation of a New Information Industry
4. Fast Paper: Sonzogno's Biblioteche and the Transnational Politics of the Feuilleton
5. Settling Scores: Sonzogno's (First) Century
Conclusion: The Periodical Life of the Digital
Bibliography
Index
Acknowledgments
Introduction
1. "With the Utmost Diligence": Giambattista Sonzogno's Raccolta de' viaggi (1815-1832) and the Birth of an editore
2. "All that Could be Useful, Instructive or Comforting": L'emporio Pittoresco and the Rising Power of Periodicals in Mid-Nineteenth Century Italy
3. The Periodical Life of Modernity: Il Secolo and the Creation of a New Information Industry
4. Fast Paper: Sonzogno's Biblioteche and the Transnational Politics of the Feuilleton
5. Settling Scores: Sonzogno's (First) Century
Conclusion: The Periodical Life of the Digital
Bibliography
Index