More Than 40 Antiquarian Booksellers Gather in Milan This Weekend

Organised by FAI – Fondo per l'Ambiente Italiano in collaboration with the Associazione Librai Antiquari d'Italia (ALAI), Italy's national association affiliated with the International League of Antiquarian Booksellers (ILAB), the fair has established itself as an important event in the Italian rare book calendar.

The fair takes place in one of Milan's architectural treasures, Villa Necchi Campiglio, an elegant 1930s residence designed by architect Piero Portaluppi. Its historic interiors provide a fitting backdrop for an exhibition spanning centuries of book history, from medieval manuscripts and incunabula to first editions, fine bindings, illustrated books, maps, prints and works on paper.

Visitors will have the opportunity to explore and purchase exceptional material covering literature, science, art, history, geography and many other fields, presented by leading specialists from Italy and abroad.

Many long-established names support the fair

Among the participating exhibitors are several long-established names in the rare book trade, including Libreria Antiquaria Pregliasco of Turin, founded in 1911; Bologna's Libreria Docet, established in 1946; and Florence's historic Libreria Antiquaria Oreste Gozzini, whose origins date back to around 1850.

International participants include Paris-based Librairie Clavreuil, founded in 1901, and Germany's Antiquariat F. Neidhardt, established in 1953.

The selection of rare and important works promises to be particularly impressive.

Librairie Clavreuil will present a complete first edition of Marcel Proust's À la recherche du temps perdu (1913–1927), beautifully bound in thirteen volumes by Gruel, alongside a first edition of Victor Hugo's Les Misérables (1862) and a complete first edition of Francisco Goya's celebrated Los Caprichos (1799), featuring all 80 engravings.

Libreria Antiquaria Pregliasco will offer an autograph manuscript by the Nobel Prize-winning Italian poet Giosuè Carducci: a draft of his 1896 article Giacomo Leopardi deputato, containing corrections, revisions and passages omitted from the published version.

Among the highlights in the field of cartography, Antiquariat F. Neidhardt will exhibit a 1525 Strasbourg edition of Ptolemy's Geographicae enarrationis libri octo, containing 50 woodcut maps, including an early printed map by Lorenz Fries using the name America for the New World. The firm will also present a rare first German-language edition of Abraham Ortelius's Theatrum oder Schawplatz des Erdbodems (1572–1573), with 69 contemporary hand-coloured maps.

Other notable works include Giambattista Bodoni's influential Manuale Tipografico (1818), presented by Studio Bibliografico Antonio Zanfrognini, and a finely illustrated collection of 24 views of nineteenth-century Milan by Ladislao Rupp, offered by Paris bookseller Fuad Audi.

The diversity of material on display reflects the breadth of today's international antiquarian book trade, with exhibitors specialising in everything from medieval manuscripts and natural history to children's books, original prints and twentieth-century first editions.

Supporting programme

Alongside the exhibition, visitors can participate in a programme exploring the preservation of works on paper and the continuing importance of handwriting.

On Saturday, 24 October, at 11 am, paper conservator Elena Allodi will lead a presentation on the restoration and conservation of works on paper, including insights into the care of drawings from the Guido Sforni Collection and the Portaluppi Archive.

On Sunday, 25 October, at 2 pm and 4 pm, gallery owner and calligrapher Jean Blanchaert will conduct practical workshops introducing participants to the techniques and tools of traditional calligraphy.

Together, these events offer an opportunity to appreciate not only the historical significance of books and manuscripts, but also the craftsmanship and skills involved in their creation and preservation.

Plan your visit

Mostra del Libro Antico e Raro
Villa Necchi Campiglio
Via Mozart 14, Milan, Italy

Opening hours

Friday, 23 October: 2 pm–7 pm
Saturday, 24 October: 10 am–7 pm
Sunday, 25 October: 10 am–6 pm

For the complete exhibitor list, further information and tickets, please visit www.villanecchicampiglio.it.

The fair is organised by FAI – Fondo per l'Ambiente Italiano in collaboration with ALAI, under the patronage of the City of Milan.