Manuali Hoepli

A Polyglot Commercial Correspondence Compiled on a Special Plan in the English, German, French, Italian, Spanish and Portuguese Languages, Each Part Forming an Original Text and the Others Being the Translations Or Keys to it ...: English part (1919)

The Laboratory of Progress

The Laboratory of Progress: Switzerland in the 19th Century tells the improbable story of how a small, backward, mountainous agricultural country with almost no raw materials became an industrial powerhouse, a hub of innovation, a touristic mecca and a pioneer in transportation – all in the course of a single century. That a tiny landlocked country should become a dominant steamship builder for the rest of the world; that a country that had never seen a cotton plant should become the world’s second-largest textile producer; that a country with hardly any level terrain should come to boast the world’s most highly developed railway network; and that a country whose main export was impoverished emigrants should be transformed into one of the world’s major financial centres – these astonishing developments, among many others, are explored and explained, both through the specific stories of individual innovators and through a prescient analysis of the political, economic, societal and cultural structures that formed the context in which Switzerland’s astonishing transformation took place. The book is a compelling read both for professional historians and for general readers with an interest in Switzerland; it highlights the roles of transport networks and individual pioneers in industrial and political development.

65 Years of the FAO Library, 1952-2017

The Story of the FAO Library – 65th Anniversary 1952–2017 is a journey through the events that led to what has become one of the world’s finest collections of materials (both digital and print) on food, agriculture and international development. Today, the library is the depository of over one and a half million volumes, plus a collection of 400 rare books, 32 incunabula (books printed before 1501) and thousands of digital publications. Its origins lie in the International Institute of Agriculture (IIA), founded in Rome in 1905 by King Vittorio Emanuele III to defend and modernize agriculture, with the encouragement of David Lubin, an American citizen and passionate promoter of agricultural knowledge. Lubin committed to creating and developing the Institute’s library, soon the reference point for research centres, governments and other agencies specialized in agricultural matters. In the aftermath of World War II, the legacy of the IIA and its unique library were closely safeguarded by FAO. FAO’s library, which officially opened in 1952, was named after Lubin “in recognition of the foresight, leadership, and outstanding contribution … to international co-operation in the field of agriculture.” This publication unveils the library’s precious collections, ranging from those inherited from the Marquise Raffaele Cappelli, second President of the IIA, to the atlases, periodicals, yearbooks and even an edition of Alexander von Humboldt's Cosmos from the Centre International de Sylviculture collection. The publication's text is accompanied by photographs and images taken from the archives, showing rare pieces ranging from the incunabula to exquisite hand-drawn illustrations. And what about today? Already as of the 1970s, the library had embarked on digitalization, providing access to technologies and supporting libraries in some 90 developing countries via FAO's decentralized offices. As the book reveals, the Library continues to rise to the digital challenge, maintaining its pivotal role in knowledge dissemination.