Pietro and Luisa Saraceno Collection: An Exhibit of Selected Treasures - Rare Collection of 10,000 Books Provides a Glimpse of Italian History

Exhibiton of a collection of rare Italian books from the 17th and 18th century.

NEW YORK (PRWEB) November 14, 2004 -- The Italian American Museum and the John D. Calandra Italian American Institute/ Queens College, The City University of New York, will present a new exhibition, Pietro and Luisa Saraceno Collection: An Exhibit of Selected Treasures from November 15 through December 31, 2004. The opening reception will be held on November 30 at 6 p.m. at the Museum.

Through a shipment of 436 boxes of books from Rome in summer 1999, the Calandra Institute obtained a collection of works on Italian history that proved to be unique in the United States. The Pietro and Luisa Saraceno Collection, currently being installed in the Calandra Institute in midtown Manhattan, is scheduled to officially open this winter. The collection, which numbers more than 10,000 volumes, was compiled and owned by the late Pietro Saraceno, a professor of administrative history at the University of Rome. After its official opening, it will be made available on a non-lending basis to scholars, students, and researchers.

This exhibit, curated by Distinguished Professor of Italian American Studies Philip V. Cannistraro, features some of these rare volumes, which provide a fascinating and informative glimpse of Italian history. According to Professor Cannistraro, There are volumes in the Saraceno Collection that are not likely to be found in any other library in the United States."

Through the efforts of Professor Steven C. Hughes of Loyola College in Maryland and Professor Cannistraro, an agreement was signed by Professor Joseph V. Scelsa, Dean of the John D. Calandra Italian American Institute, establishing a home in the library area at the Calandra Institute for the collection.

The collection focuses on Italian history and administration and is a treasure trove of scholarly monographs, journals, historical dictionaries, extracts, and collected articles. There are old and rare volumes from as early as the 18th century, and entire runs of scholarly journals, some dating to the 1800s. Among the many unique items in the collection are hundreds of volumes representing the complete Legge e Decreti (laws and decrees) for the Kingdom of Italy as well as for the Italian states before unification.

Says Professor Scelsa, This unique collection provides, for the first in the United States, the opportunity for scholars to delve into the origins of the modern Italian state by examining the administrative codes as well as the philosophical underpinnings of the Risorgimento."

According to Professor Hughes, Pietro Saraceno created a research library which, although small by some standards, offered a unique instrument for the study of certain topics in contemporary Italian history."

The Italian American Museum is open Monday through Friday from 10:00 am -- 4:00 pm, and by appointment. The Italian American Museum is in transitional residence at the John D. Calandra Italian American Institute/Queens College, The City University of New York. It is located at 28 West 44th Street, 17th floor, New York, NY 10036. For further information, please call (212) 642-2020 or visit www.italianamericanmuseum.org.

Contact:    
Maria Fosco
(212) 642-2020

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