De Agostini Editore (Novara - Italy)

(direct source De Agostini Editore)

In the world of publishing, De Agostini Editore stands proud as an innovative company possessing an underlying desire to satisfy customer needs and aspirations. The company comprises a number of publishing houses each renowned as a 'centre of excellence' and each committed to the creation and launch of products serving the local market but also with the potential to pass beyond geographical and regional barriers. De Agostini Editore's role is to coordinate and manage the group's publishing activities worldwide. These are organised into business areas.

The business areas

Partworks: editorial products published either weekly or biweekly. Partworks deal with subjects ranging from art, history and geography, to cooking guides, DIY and language learning; from computer courses, cinema or music collections, to multimedia educational series. The main points of sale for such products are news-stands and kiosks. 

General Reference: the publications are sold in Italy through the door-to-door channel. Both De Agostini and Utet catalogues offer a rich selection to choose from in a number of different areas ranging from encyclopaedias and dictionaries to essays and literary classics. 

Books and Cartography: this business develops and consolidates the company's leadership in the field of illustrated books, tourist guides, atlases and geographical maps. The 'special projects' sector supplies products specially tailored to meet specific trade promotion requirements in the B2B market. 

School texts: De Agostini Editore is a key player in today's school and education market, with products for all learning ranges; from primary to secondary school. A wide and detailed product range covers all potential teaching requirements from manuals and tests to factsheets. 

Digital De Agostini: increases the presence of De Agostini in digital media, including Internet, digital television and mobile platforms, where we see excellent opportunities for growth. 

Our history and milestones: an adventure spanning more than a century

1901 The founding of the Istituto Geografico De Agostini

The Istituto Geografico De Agostini is founded by Giovanni De Agostini in Rome in June 1901. Giovanni De Agostini was the brother of Salesian explorer and Patagonian pioneer Alberto Maria. A head office and sales point is opened just a few steps from the Trevi Fountain in Rome; the first shop window with the De Agostini brand on view. The company marked its publishing debut with the publication Atlante scolastico moderno (Modern School Atlas).

1904 The launch of the Calendario Atlante (Calendar Atlas)

The first Calendario Atlante De Agostini is launched with illustrations in strict Liberty style. It is soon to become popularly referred to simply as the Atlantino ('Mini' Atlas). The underlying concept is to combine a pocket calendar-almanac with a compact geography of the world that includes facts, figures and maps. Its huge success soon becomes associated with the image of the company, an image that will remain unchanged for over a century.

1908 The Istituto Geografico De Agostini moves to Novara

Northeast Italy is chosen on account of the strong and growing business relationships that Giovanni De Agostini is developing with the industrial sector in this area. The opportunity for better contact with Germany is also an important factor in the relocation, as precise cartography tools are now available there.

1919 Marco Adolfo Boroli and Cesare Angelo Rossi

The company is taken over by Marco Adolfo Boroli and Cesare Angelo Rossi. They strengthen cartography activities with the support of Luigi Visintin, head of the scientific unit. Boroli and Rossi have paid share capital worth ITL 180,000 lire to form a new jointly-owned company.

1922 The Grande Atlante Geografico (Complete Geographical Atlas)

The first edition of the Grande Atlante Geografico is published and marks a revolution, if only for the larger map scale employed. The newspaper Corriere della Sera marks the presentation of the publication to King Vittorio Emanuele III by writing, 'After years of paying homage to the great German, French and English atlases, we are finally free of this humiliating form of slavery.'

1927 Rotogravure printing

1927 signifies a move towards diversification in publishing production with the introduction of the rotogravure printing line. The modernisation of technology in the 1920s is a heavy cost for the company to bear but necessary to meet production requirements for a demanding, dynamic market.

1946 Achille and Adolfo Boroli

The company is bought out 100% by the Boroli family and a period of great development begins under the guidance of Achille Boroli. He is subsequently joined by his brother Adolfo and the two run the company together for over 30 years. The decision to increase capital from 19 to 50 million liras to finance the investment in new production is taken in 1947.

1959 Il Milione launched

The launch of the first issue of the partwork encyclopaedia, Il Milione. The work will become the biggest, most comprehensive geographical atlas organised according to continents and countries. The final work will comprise 312, 32-page partwork magazine issues spanning a total of 15 volumes, 10,000 pages and 16,000 illustrations. The first issue goes on sale at 200 liras and sells out so quickly that a decision is taken to move ahead with a reprint. The partwork age has begun.

1962 Purchase-by-instalment

The introduction of the purchase-by-instalment method of payment to help promote encyclopaedia sales soon becomes a worldwide success. It also enables De Agostini to consolidate its publishing, production and commercial framework.

1971 Graphics and publishing activities go their separate ways

Graphics activities become separated from publishing activities and are organised within a new company, the Officine Grafiche De Agostini. Istituto Geografico De Agostini becomes the focal point in a plan to internationalise the group, focus heavily on developing partwork products and compartmentalise activities according to sales channel.

1985-1996 Publishing group growth and expansion

The group achieves unprecedented levels of growth both in Italy and abroad. Product innovation, marketing strategy, effective advertising planning, the international exchange of know-how and the development of multimedia products are the main ingredients of success.

1997 The move from one generation to the next

When Adolfo Boroli dies in 1996 and his brother Achille withdraws from an active role in the company, it signals the end of a 40-year era marked by an intelligent, passionate management that has established the company worldwide. The stakeholders entrust the management of the group to the capable hands of Marco Drago - a key figure in driving the extraordinary publishing development of the group over the previous decade.

1998-2000 The group diversifies

De Agostini is one of the investors involved in the 1997 privatisation of SEAT. The deal will be finalised three years later and enable the company to implement a strategic partnership with SEAT Pagine Gialle that will lead to new innovative initiatives such as the 'Virgilio' portal. The head of the group implements the new organisational structure and takes on the responsibility for strategy. The sub-holdings (publishing, media and communications, finance and other activities), meanwhile, become responsible for controlling and developing their respective business areas.

2001 The group's centenary celebrations

De Agostini celebrates 100 years' activity and marks the occasion with a visit by the President of the Republic, Carlo Azeglio Ciampi, to the company. The words chosen to mark the celebration, '100 years spent discovering the future', mirror the philosophy underlying De Agostini's long journey to the present-day; a journey that has made it a leading figure on the national and European publishing stage with a significant market presence in more than 30 countries in all continents worldwide.

2002 Acquisition of the publishing house UTET

The group buys out the prestigious publishing house UTET (Unione Tipografico-Editrice Torinese). Founded in Turin in 1791 on the back of the bookstore activities of the Pomba brothers, UTET soon specialises in 'Great Works', such as the renowned Grande Dizionario della Lingua Italiana (Complete Dictionary of the Italian Language) originated by Salvatore Battaglia) and the Classics of literature, philosophy, science and history. Even today, UTET and its vast catalogue is a hallmark of quality and top-class publishing.

2004 De Agostini Editore S.p.A. makes its entrance

The sub-holding De Agostini Editore S.p.A. is set up to manage and coordinate the various publishing sectors: partworks, direct marketing, books and cartography, school, general reference and professional publications. The aim is to strengthen and exploit new development opportunities in publishing markets both at home and abroad. With that in mind, De Agostini Scuola S.p.A. is also founded in July to relaunch and take full advantage of the brand names that come under the new company's umbrella - especially the De Agostini and Petrini brands.

2005 Istituto Geografico De Agostini S.p.A. and the new company framework

The company's integration project in the sphere of books and cartography products continues to make ground. Istituto Geografico De Agostini S.p.A. activities are reorganised in January in order to follow the objective of a simplified company organisation in line with business activities. The new company optimises production and commercial processes and includes the business areas: books, cartography products and special initiatives.

2006-2007: Strengthening the educational sector

November 2006 sees the completion of the acquisition by De Agostini Edizioni Scolastiche S.p.A. – a company fully owned by De Agostini Editore S.p.A. – of a major shareholding in Sedes S.p.A. This company is operating under the “Ghisetti & Corvi” brand name in the educational publishing sector selling to primary and first and second grade secondary schools. In December, the educational publishing arm of Cedam S.p.A. is acquired from Wolters Kluwer International. In July 2007, De Agostini Edizioni Scolastiche S.p.A. acquires a major holding in Cideb Editrice S.r.l., which is involved in the foreign language sector.

2008 Digital De Agostini

In July Digital De Agostini is officially created. Digital De Agostini increases the presence of De Agostini in digital media, including Internet, digital television and mobile platforms, where we see excellent opportunities for growth. The main objectives of this Business Unit are: the launch and deployment of DeA Kids, a kids channel on Sky Italia; the launch of two additional thematic TV channels by 2010; the development of editorial initiatives on the web and other digital media.