Every year, we get visits from scholars who are interested in researching the history of the International Institute of Agriculture (IIA). Here is some information about what we have in our collection that can help you.
We have the archives of David Lubin, the founder of the IIA. These archives, composed of 39 volumes, include official correspondence and papers regarding the preliminary work for the creation of the institute, as well as articles on the IIA published in European and American periodicals.
The FAO archives contain records pertinent to the institutional memory of the IIA.
Our library houses the contents of the IIA's library, which was transferred to the FAO in 1945. This collection contains detailed statistical information on the global agricultural situation during the first half of the 20th century. It also includes the following sub collections:
The Cappelli Collection: Donated by the second president of the IIA, this collection includes 185 rare books, 20 of which are incunabula. Highlights of this collection include five books authored by Virgil, three books authored by Aristotle, and 4 books produced on the presses of Aldus Manutius.
The Centre International de Silviculture Collection (CIS):
The complete collection of the CIS-- a research center created with the aim of establishing an exhaustive international collection of documentation related to forests, forestry, and the timber industry. This collection includes rare volumes (mostly in German) that do not exist in any other library in the world.
The Marescalchi Collection: This collection is composed of pamphlets, bulletins and periodicals donated by A. Marescalchi, noted wine scholar as well as Undersecretary of State in the Italian Ministry of Agriculture.
The Giglioli Collection: A 19th century collection composed of 10,000 volumes and pamphlets on agriculture. It includes the archives of Italo Giglioli's family, and photos and publications written by Giglioli (a professor of agricultural chemistry at the University of Pisa who participated in the founding of the IIA)
Bibliography:
(see also our David Lubin delicious links)
La Biblioteca dell' Istituto Internazionale d'Agricoltura e La Biblioteca della Food and Agriculture Organization by Maria Pia Loreti (Masters Thesis, 1966)
The Work of the International Institute of Agriculture, by Louis M. Dop, IIA Vice President
Alle origini della FAO. Le relazioni tra l'Istituto Internazionale di Agricoltura e la Societa delle Nazioni, by L. Tosi
David Lubin, A Study in Practical Idealism by Olivia Rossetti Agresti
The International Institute of Agriculture. (An historical and critical analysis of its organization, activities and policies of administration), by Asher Hobson
During my 30 years of service in the FAO Library, I've always knew the incunabulae were 32 and not 20. What happened?
Posted by: gilda sacco | 24 June 2009 at 04:08 PM
Hi Gilda, Thanks for your comment-- It's nice to see that you read my post so quickly! And don't worry about the incunabulae... I was only referring to the incunabulae that came to us from the Capelli collection above (which are 20). Our library has received another 12 over the years, so the total number that we possess is still 32!
Posted by: JessicaM | 24 June 2009 at 04:13 PM
Thank you Jessica for the exhaustive explanation. It's correct. I do not know if you received yesterday my reply, because I am not too familiar with all this technology, so I'm sending you again my sincere thanks, for your prompt reply (just in case you did not receive it). Have a good week-end.
Posted by: gilda sacco | 25 June 2009 at 10:50 PM
No, thank YOU for your interest in our blog and your dedication to our library. I don't think we've ever been introduced. Were you at Gabriel's party yesterday? The next time you stop by the library, I'd like to meet you in person!
Posted by: jessicaM | 26 June 2009 at 02:56 PM
Just wanted to let you know that the Hoover Institution Archives at Stanford University also has a small collection of David Lubin's papers.
You can see the finding aid here:
http://www.oac.cdlib.org/findaid/ark:/13030/kt0c6030t6/
Posted by: Jill Golden | 19 March 2012 at 06:19 PM
Dear Jill, Thanks so much for your comment. I knew about the Lubin papers at Stanford, but I had never seen the finding aid.
Thanks for the link!
Jessica
Posted by: JessicaM | 20 March 2012 at 10:46 AM