Aldo Garzanti (1883, in Forlì – 1961, in San Pellegrino Terme) was an Italian entrepreneur and publisher.

Early life

Born in Forlì, his father was a schoolteacher and follower of Garibaldi. He was educated in his native city where G. Mazzatinti introduced him to librarianship. He then studied at the Faculty of Letters in the

University of Bologna The University of Bologna ( it, Alma Mater Studiorum – Università di Bologna, UNIBO) is a public research university in Bologna, Italy. Founded in 1088 by an organised guild of students (''studiorum''), it is the oldest university in continu ...

, graduating in 1907. Immediately after graduating, he joined a group of intellectuals associated with the journal ''La Romagna nella storia, nella letteratura e nelle arti'', becoming its editor in 1911. He took a special interest in the social and economic history of the region, publishing accounts of developments from the 16th to the 18th centuries. At the same time, he took up teaching, first at the high school in

Rimini Rimini ( , ; rgn, Rémin; la, Ariminum) is a city in the Emilia-Romagna region of northern Italy and capital city of the Province of Rimini. It sprawls along the Adriatic Sea, on the coast between the rivers Marecchia (the ancient ''Ariminu ...

, then at

Alatri Alatri ( la, Aletrium) is an Italian town and ''comune'' of the province of Frosinone in the region of Lazio, with c. 30,000 inhabitants. An ancient city of the Hernici,Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Hernici". Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed. ...

(1909) and

Chieri Chieri (; pms, Cher) is a town and ''comune'' in the Metropolitan City of Turin, Piedmont (Italy), located about southeast of Turin, by rail and by road. It borders the following municipalities: Baldissero Torinese, Pavarolo, Montaldo Torine ...

(1912). During the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, he enlisted in the artillery until April 1919 when he was discharged with the rank of captain.

Business career

Immediately after the war he moved to Milan where he gave up teaching in favour of a business career, becoming the Italian agent for American chemicals producers including DuPont and founding his own company, Dott. Aldo Garzanti Coloranti et Prodotti Chimici, a distribution outlet supplying the textile and leather industries. As a result of his success, in 1921 he was able to open his own manufacturing company, SADAF, which produced dyes and chemicals for soaking and tanning hides and leathers. In 1932, he widened his interests, opening MIRET specializing in lace and silk. The following year he created a model agricultural enterprise in Suvignano,

Tuscany it, Toscano (man) it, Toscana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = Citizenship , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = Italian , demogra ...

but above all, in 1936, he acquired the Treves publishing company which was in difficulty. Created in 1861 by Emilio Treves,

Fratelli Treves Editori RCS MediaGroup S.p.A. (formerly Rizzoli-Corriere della Sera), based in Milan and listed on the Italian Stock Exchange, is an international multimedia publishing group that operates in daily newspapers, magazines and books, radio broadcasting, n ...

had been a leading publisher not only in Lombardy but throughout Italy. After changing its name to Casa Editrice Garzanti, he received support from Benito Mussolini which brought him lucrative commissions from the library authorities, making it one of the top publishing companies in Italy. The company suffered during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

when the old Treves printing plant was bombed but Garzanti was successful in rebuilding modern facilities within a year, winning the Roncoroni prize for rapid redevelopment. In 1952, suffering from poor health, he retired as managing director of the company but remained chairman of the board.

Later life

In later life, Garzanti devoted his efforts mainly to philanthropic activities, contributing to the restoration of the castle Rocca Caterina Sforza in Forlì and assisting artists through the Fondazione Livio e Maria Garzanti. In 1954, he financed the Italian expedition which successfully climbed K2. He died in 1961 at the age of 78.

Family

In 1920, Garzanti married Maria Ravasi who gave birth to their son Livio in 1921. Livio later took over the family publishing business.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Garzanti, Aldo Italian publishers (people) Italian book publishers (people) 1883 births 1961 deaths People from Forlì