Guido G. Giannini, Manuale di Cartonaggio
Written by Guido G. Giannini, with 237 illustrations by Giulio Giannini Junior, Edifir, November 2009, 114 pages – 17 x 24 cm – paperback with hinges. ISBN 978-88-7970-334-5 €14.00 Published by the Osservatorio dei Mestieri d’Arte, written by Guido G. Giannini
In the 1950s, Giannini writes, professional schools had the task of sending their alumni into the workforce. So they focused on teaching various arts and crafts. Casa Editrice Hoepli, the publishing house where Giannini first sent his manuscript, decided not to publish his tome. Most likely, the editors at Hoepli concluded that the book was poorly adapted to the social and industrial evolutions of the day, an evolution that has pushed forward to the point where we risk losing knowledge of the old ways, fruits of centuries of experience and sacrifice. Today, the printing of this manual has the ambitious objective to introduce the young and the very young to these crafts, in the hopes that these artisanal pursuits – knowing how to craft by hand (which can’t be separated from the mind) – can be appreciated and become part of their cultural consciousness. This volume also joins itself to the campaign to promote things of beauty, unique objects created to increase in value over time, not lose it.
This volume created in collaboration with A.R.A. Italia, the Associazione Amici della Rilegatura d’Arte.
