Fabbri Editori

Fabbri Editori, formally Fratelli Fabbri Editori, is an Italian publishing house established in 1947 by the brothers Giovanni, Dino and Ettore “Rino” Fabbri. The company emerged from a family background in small-scale commerce and from the brothers’ interest in culture, art and books. Giovanni, originally trained in medicine and active in the postwar resistance, chose publishing after the Second World War and brought his brothers into the business. The company initially built its position through school textbooks and rapidly became a significant publisher in the educational sector. It then broadened its catalogue with substantial illustrated editions of canonical works, including the Divine Comedy and the Bible. Fabbri’s growth was closely associated with high-quality printing, accessible presentation and installment-based distribution, a model that made expensive reference and cultural works available to a broad Italian readership. At the end of the 1950s, the publisher became particularly visible through major art and culture series such as Masterpieces in the Centuries and The Masters of Color. In the 1960s, its illustrated children’s encyclopedia Conoscere reached millions of Italian households. The company also expanded beyond Italy: its publications were translated into numerous languages and distributed in several international markets. Fabbri became known for combining editorial content with serial or collectible formats, an approach that linked publishing to newsstand and installment sales. Fabbri was an early Italian participant in multimedia publishing. Its series The Stories of Sound and The History of Music paired books with recorded audio, an innovative format at a time when the integration of print and recorded media was still unusual. For The History of Music, the company arranged production of a specially sized long-playing record so that the audio component could fit the established packaging and distribution format. By the late 1960s, changing market conditions and social unrest contributed to a reorganization of the ownership structure. Dino and Rino Fabbri sought to sell their interests and pursue activities abroad, while Giovanni remained associated with the company. In 1971, the Istituto Finanziario Industriale, the predecessor of Exor, acquired a majority stake on behalf of the Agnelli family from Bertelsmann. Giovanni stayed on as chairman, while Piero Stucchi Prinetti took responsibility for day-to-day management as managing director. During the following decades, Fabbri continued to develop encyclopedias, educational publications, illustrated works and international partworks. Its painting series were adapted for several countries and languages, demonstrating the scalability of the company’s serialized editorial model. The publisher also used newsstand distribution for film-related collections, including monographs on actors and series devoted to James Bond films, Alberto Sordi and Gilberto Govi, as well as collections organized around directors and cinematic genres. Fabbri later became part of the Rizzoli Corriere della Sera group, now associated with RCS MediaGroup. In 2016, Arnoldo Mondadori Editore acquired RCS’s book activities, bringing Fabbri into the Mondadori-controlled Rizzoli Libri structure. Fabbri therefore remains an established publishing imprint within a larger Italian book-publishing group, with a historical identity rooted in education, illustrated reference publishing, cultural works and serialized consumer editions.

Fratelli Fabbri Editori was founded in 1947 by Giovanni, Dino and Ettore “Rino” Fabbri. Giovanni’s decision to enter publishing after medical training and wartime resistance service shaped the family’s new enterprise. The publisher first concentrated on school textbooks, where it achieved rapid recognition and became an important Italian educational publisher. Fabbri then extended its activities into illustrated classics, art publishing and large cultural works. Editions of the Divine Comedy and the Bible demonstrated the company’s ability to combine substantial editorial projects with attractive, accessible production. Its late-1950s series Masterpieces in the Centuries and The Masters of Color became important examples of its approach to popularizing art history through affordable, serial or installment-based publication. The 1960s brought particularly broad reach. The children’s illustrated encyclopedia Conoscere was distributed to millions of Italian homes, while Fabbri’s publications were translated and sold in many countries. The company’s scale was supported by a commercial model built around installments, collectible volumes and newsstand-style distribution. This model allowed readers to acquire extensive reference works over time rather than purchase them as single expensive books. Fabbri was also an innovator in multimedia publishing. The Stories of Sound and The History of Music combined printed volumes with recordings. These products anticipated later forms of packaged educational media by treating sound as an integral part of the publishing product. The company worked with Philips Records on a specially produced record format for The History of Music, adapting the physical product to existing packaging and distribution standards. Ownership changed as the market matured. At the end of the 1960s, Dino and Rino sought to dispose of their interests and move into activities outside Italy, while Giovanni continued to support the publishing business. In 1971, IFI acquired 53% of the company for the Agnelli family from Bertelsmann. Giovanni remained chairman and Piero Stucchi Prinetti became managing director. Later, Giovanni moved to Lugano after becoming a target of the Red Brigades; Rino subsequently lived in Paraguay. Dino died in Florida in 2001, and Rino died in Asunción in 2012. In the later twentieth century, Fabbri continued to use international partwork publishing. Painting series were adapted for French-, Spanish-, German- and English-language markets, illustrating the company’s capacity to repackage editorial concepts for different national audiences. The company also expanded its newsstand catalogue into film and popular culture, distributing actor monographs and collections concerning James Bond, Alberto Sordi, Gilberto Govi, film directors and cinematic genres. Fabbri became part of the Rizzoli Corriere della Sera group, subsequently known as RCS MediaGroup. In 2016, Mondadori acquired RCS’s book division, including Fabbri. The imprint is now associated with Rizzoli Libri under the ownership of Arnoldo Mondadori Editore. Its historical legacy is that of a mass-market cultural publisher combining textbooks, illustrated reference works, art education, partworks and multimedia publishing.

• 2016

  Acquisition by Mondadori

  [1]Fratelli Fabbri Editorien.wikipedia.org

  Fabbri moves into the Mondadori-controlled Rizzoli Libri group after Mondadori acquires RCS’s book division.

• 1990

  International partwork expansion

  [1]Fratelli Fabbri Editorien.wikipedia.org

  Fabbri develops painting and art partworks for multiple language markets, including French, Spanish, German and English editions.

• 1971

  IFI acquires control

  [1]Fratelli Fabbri Editorien.wikipedia.org

  IFI purchases a 53% stake on behalf of the Agnelli family, while Giovanni Fabbri remains chairman.

• 1960

  Conoscere reaches a mass audience

  [1]Fratelli Fabbri Editorien.wikipedia.org

  The illustrated children’s encyclopedia Conoscere is distributed widely in Italy and becomes one of the company’s best-known educational works.

• 1960

  Entry into multimedia publishing

  [1]Fratelli Fabbri Editorien.wikipedia.org

  Fabbri introduces book-and-record products, including The Stories of Sound and The History of Music.

• 1958

  Launch of major art series

  [1]Fratelli Fabbri Editorien.wikipedia.org

  Series such as Masterpieces in the Centuries and The Masters of Color establish Fabbri as a prominent popular art publisher.

• 1950

  Expansion into major illustrated classics

  [1]Fratelli Fabbri Editorien.wikipedia.org

  The publisher expands from school books into high-quality illustrated editions of works including the Divine Comedy and the Bible.

• 1947

  Fabbri Editori is founded

  [1]Fratelli Fabbri Editorien.wikipedia.org

  Giovanni, Dino and Ettore “Rino” Fabbri establish Fratelli Fabbri Editori in Italy.

An Italian educational and illustrated publishing imprint that historically made cultural, artistic and reference content accessible through high-quality print, installment plans, serialized partworks and multimedia formats.

• Educational publishing · 1947

  School textbooks

  Fabbri’s original growth engine was school publishing. The company developed textbooks for the Italian education market and used this foundation to build editorial, printing and distribution capabilities that later supported its illustrated reference and cultural catalogues.

• Children's encyclopedia · 1960

  Conoscere

  Conoscere was an illustrated encyclopedia for children that was sold in bound volumes, including through installment arrangements. Its accessible presentation and serial acquisition model helped bring a substantial reference work into millions of Italian homes during the 1960s.

• Art reference partwork · 1950

  The Masters of Color

  The Masters of Color was a major illustrated art series associated with Fabbri’s late-1950s expansion into popular art education. It presented artists and works in a serial format designed to make art history approachable to a broad readership.

• Multimedia educational publishing · 1960

  The History of Music

  The History of Music combined printed editorial material with recorded audio. Its production required a specially sized LP, illustrating Fabbri’s early effort to integrate physical recordings into a structured educational publishing series.

• International art publishing · 1990

  International painting partworks

  Fabbri created painting-focused partworks that were adapted for different national markets and languages. Examples included editions marketed under different titles in French, Spanish, German and English, reflecting the company’s international licensing and localization model.

• Entertainment publishing

  Film and actor collections

  With the growth of home video and DVD distribution, Fabbri used newsstands to distribute film-related monographs and collections. The catalogue included material on James Bond films, Alberto Sordi, Gilberto Govi, directors and cinematic genres.

• 2016

  Integration into Mondadori’s Rizzoli book groupM&A

  Background

  Fabbri was part of the RCS book-business portfolio when Arnoldo Mondadori Editore acquired RCS’s book activities.

  Action taken

  Mondadori brought the Fabbri imprint into Rizzoli Libri, which is wholly controlled by Arnoldo Mondadori Editore.

  Aftermath

  Fabbri continued as an imprint within the larger Mondadori-controlled book-publishing structure.

  Source

• 1971

  Transfer of majority ownership to IFIM&A

  Background

  Fabbri underwent an ownership transition after changes in the publishing market and the departure of brothers Dino and Rino from the Italian business.

  Action taken

  IFI, the predecessor of Exor, acquired 53% of Fabbri Editori on behalf of the Agnelli family from Bertelsmann.

  Aftermath

  Giovanni Fabbri remained chairman, while Piero Stucchi Prinetti became managing director. The company subsequently operated within larger publishing groups.

  Source

1. 1Fratelli Fabbri Editorien.wikipedia.org
2. 2Fabbri Editori official websitefabbrieditori.eu