The Humanities Library

In 1961 Angelo Sraffa’s collection of Italian and foreign literature, presented in this section, was donated to the Bocconi University Library by his son, Piero.

In the letter exhibited here — addressed to the then director of the Library, Anna Bacigalupo — Piero Sraffa wrote that 15 cases of books would be sent, with the purpose of enriching the University’s Library. The Library was established to assist teaching in the Foreign Languages and Literature Department, active from 1946 until 1972.

The cases contained a selection from Angelo Sraffa’s humanities book collection, including mainly volumes of French and Italian literature dating back to the late 19th and early 20th centuries. However, there was no shortage of other types of literature, specifically English and Russian — typically translated into French, Sraffa’s favorite language — in addition to a small, yet significant collection of early printed books.

This selection permits us to paint a broader, more defined picture of Angelo Sraffa, looking beyond his traditional areas of study and professional career. The collection serves as a testament to the cultural and intellectual legacy of the late 19th century, the period of his formative years. It unveils a man of extraordinary intellectual curiosity and attention to detail who always possessed cultural acumen and an international outlook. Particularly significant were the ideal bonds with Giuseppe Mazzini, and more generally with the Risorgimento movement, as well as with Giosuè Carducci. Sraffa had the opportunity to listen to the public speeches of the latter, which left a profound impact on his early formative years.

The article proposed here attests to the vast humanistic knowledge that Sraffa acquired throughout his life, written by judge and legal expert Mariano D’Amelio — also his brother-in-law, as he married Sraffa’s wife’s sister.

Written after Sraffa’s death, it describes his personality and highlights his “exceptional knowledge, not only technical but also humanistic.” The text also emphasizes the “bibliophile’s intuition and critical mind".