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 incunabulae. 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
