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| Società Editrice Il Mulino | |
|---|---|
| Name | Società Editrice Il Mulino |
| Founded | 1954 |
| Founder | Giuseppe De Rita; Lelio Basso; Tristano Codignola; Ennio Bianco |
| Country | Italy |
| Headquarters | Bologna |
| Publications | Books; Periodicals |
| Topics | History; Politics; Law; Sociology; Economics; Philosophy |
Società Editrice Il Mulino
Società Editrice Il Mulino is an Italian publishing house founded in 1954 in Bologna by intellectuals associated with postwar renewal such as Giuseppe De Rita, Lelio Basso, Tristano Codignola, and Ennio Bianco. The press developed from the cultural milieu around the journal Il Mulino and became notable for monographs, academic series, and the magazine Il Mulino (rivista), influencing debates in Italy and engaging with institutions like Università di Bologna, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, and Istituto per gli Studi di Politica Internazionale.
Il Mulino emerged in the aftermath of World War II and the Italian Republic's foundation, drawing on networks that included figures from Christian Democracy (Italy), Italian Socialist Party, and Italian Communist Party circles. Early activities linked the publisher to intellectual currents represented by journals such as Rivista Filosofica, Quaderni Piacentini, and movements led by scholars from Scuola Normale Superiore di Pisa, Università di Roma La Sapienza, and Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore. Through the 1960s and 1970s Il Mulino expanded its editorial program alongside transformations in Italian politics, contested public debates like the Hot Autumn (Italy), and the cultural transformations tied to the 1968 protests and the Years of Lead. Collaborations and exchanges brought in scholars influenced by the work of Norberto Bobbio, Giovanni Sartori, Max Weber, Karl Marx, and Antonio Gramsci, while the press navigated relationships with publishing houses such as Einaudi, Feltrinelli, Mondadori, and Laterza.
The company retained a mixed structure combining cooperative aspects and private ownership typical of mid-20th-century Italian cultural enterprises, involving directors and boards connected to Associazione Il Mulino and local institutions in Bologna. Governance featured partnerships with university departments at Università di Bologna, think tanks like Istituto Luigi Sturzo, research centers including ISPI, and collaboration with foundations such as Fondazione Giovanni Agnelli and Fondazione CRT. Editors and administrators often included academics affiliated with Sapienza University of Rome, University of Florence, University of Milan, and policy networks linked to the European Union institutions and the Council of Europe.
Il Mulino’s catalog emphasizes monographs, textbooks, and scholarly series spanning History of Italy, comparative Politics, Sociology, Economics, Law, and Philosophy. Notable series addressed themes related to the Italian Renaissance, Risorgimento, European integration debates referencing Treaty of Rome scholars, and legal commentary on statutes such as the Italian Constitution (1948). The house produced academic series comparable to those from Cambridge University Press, Oxford University Press, and Harvard University Press, while maintaining Italian-focused offerings similar to Il Mulino (publishing series), critical editions of works by Niccolò Machiavelli, collections on Enlightenment figures like Giambattista Vico, and studies on modern thinkers including Max Weber and Hannah Arendt.
Authors and collaborators over decades have included scholars such as Norberto Bobbio, Giovanni Sartori, Emilio Gentile, Sergio Romano, Alberto Asor Rosa, Tommaso Padoa-Schioppa, Vittorio Hösle, Michele Ciliberto, Sandro Portelli, Marc Bloch (in translated/edited volumes), and Pierre Bourdieu (in Italian editions). The press hosted translations and editions of works by Max Weber, Karl Marx, Alexis de Tocqueville, Hegel, and Friedrich Nietzsche, cooperating with international scholars affiliated with Harvard University, University of Oxford, École des hautes études en sciences sociales, Sciences Po, Universität Heidelberg, and Universität Wien. Partnerships extended to institutions like Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana, Biblioteca Nazionale Centrale di Firenze, and cultural programs run by Ministero per i Beni e le Attività Culturali.
Il Mulino played a prominent role in shaping postwar Italian intellectual life, influencing debates around parties such as Christian Democracy (Italy), Italian Communist Party, Italian Socialist Party, and later formations including Forza Italia and Partito Democratico (Italy). Its editorial line interfaced with public intellectuals who participated in commissions on constitutional reform, electoral law conversations involving the Rosatellum era, and policy discussions in venues like the Italian Parliament, Senate of the Republic (Italy), and regional assemblies in Emilia-Romagna. Cultural programming engaged with festivals and fora such as Festivaletteratura, Biennale di Venezia, and civic debates in cities like Rome, Milan, and Bologna.
Distribution networks encompassed Italian national chains, independent bookstores in Bologna, Rome, and Milan, and academic distribution through university presses and libraries including Biblioteca Ambrosiana and the Biblioteca Nazionale Centrale di Roma. International outreach included translations into English, French, Spanish, and German, distribution partnerships with European distributors active in France, Germany, Spain, United Kingdom, and participation in international book fairs like the Frankfurt Book Fair, London Book Fair, and Bologna Children's Book Fair.
The publishing house and its authors received numerous prizes and acknowledgments, with titles published by the press winning awards such as the Premio Strega, Premio Napoli, Premio Viareggio, Premio Bancarella, and scholarly recognitions from institutions like Accademia dei Lincei and Istituto Italiano per gli Studi Filosofici. Editors and contributors have been honored by academic bodies including Accademia delle Scienze di Torino, European Academy of Sciences and Arts, and civic awards from municipalities like Comune di Bologna.