Editori Riuniti. Politica

Pino Tovaglia, 1976


Among 1977's new books, two new series dedicated to widespread fields: school and politics.

"To politics, and more specifically to the issues of institutions, parties, the relationship between political and economic power, the events of the last thirty years, we will dedicate a new series to be directed by Aniello Coppola". Coppola, a historic journalist from L'Unità (a newspaper on which Editori Riuniti also had a dedicated page in the early 1980s), had already written prefaces for some publications of Editori Riuniti.

"Among the first titles, a volume by comrade Ingrao on institutions and the Demochristian system of power of the sociologist Mattelart over multinationals and the mass media".

The series ends around 1982 with less than thirty books in the catalog. The success of the first few years, however, will give rise to another series of Editori Riuniti of a similar price range and format dedicated to relevant political and cultural problems and young people: "Interventi".

Two colors, black and bright red. Helvetica bold not only for all the texts on the cover of this series, but shared by all the other series designed by Pino Tovaglia for Editori Riuniti. With the exception of some volumes that explicitly required the presence of capitalized words, the titles are all set in lowercase.

Under the author's name, a geometric design consisting of four black and four red squares characterizes each volume by varying the position and rotation of each group of squares. The abstract figurative element is however in continuity with the previous Editori Riuniti series: the covers of the library of the workers' movement, for example, were identified by a large red square and a slightly rotated black one, a further evolution of the colored rhombus used for the "Nuova biblioteca di cultura" and other editions.

Pietro Ingrao, "Masse e potere"

Politica 1, May 1977 (1st edition)

Luciano Lama, Il sindacato nella crisi italiana

Luciano Lama, "Il sindacato nella crisi italiana"

Politica 2, May 1977 (1a edizione)

Santiago Carrillo, L’eurocomunismo e lo Stato

Santiago Carrillo, "L’eurocomunismo e lo Stato"

Politica 5, September 1977 (1a edizione)

Sandro Magister, La politica italiana e l’Italia 1943-1978

Sandro Magister, "La politica italiana e l’Italia 1943-1978"

Politica 10, September 1979 (1a edizione)

Autori Vari, Socialismo reale e terza via

Autori Vari, "Socialismo reale e terza via"

Politica 26, February 1982 (1a edizione)

Editori Riuniti

The name derives from its birth, the merger of two publishing houses orbiting in the area of the former Italian Communist Party: the "Edizioni Rinascita" and the "Edizioni di Cultura Sociale". From 1953 to 1995 the direction was by Roberto Bonchio. Among the main published authors, Gianni Rodani, whose covers were made by Bruno Munari. The main body of publications, however, was linked to politics and debate, with particular affinity towards Marxist thought. After a series of changes of ownership and management, since 2013 it has been in the hands of the Italian Publishing Group.

Pino Tovaglia

Giuseppe Tovaglia, born in Milan in 1923, was one of the protagonists of post-war Italian graphic design. Initially engaged in advertising graphics, in 1956 he founded the CNPT studio with Giulio Confalonieri, Ilio Negri and Michele Provinciali, working for Alfa Romeo, Pirelli, Stock, Ottagono and Nebiolo. His best known work is from 1975: the symbol (still used today) of the Lombardia Region, designed in collaboration with Bruno Munari, Bob Noorda and Roberto Sambonet. A member of the AGI, he was one of the founders of the Italian Association of Advertising Artists (AIAP). He died prematurely in 1977, yet in 1998 he was awarded the Compasso d'Oro in his memory.