Dalla Scuola Normale all'Istituto Magistrale. La manualistica pedagogica dopo la Riforma Gentile

ABSTRACT. The importance of publishing to produce textbooks for schools at all levels, including texts for university studies and for popular reading has been adequately emphasized in recent years by some important historical and educational research both Italian and foreign. The spread of the textbook, as an indispensable tool for education in each subject, gradually takes shape and acquires bigger dimensions in the second half of the nineteenth century and already takes on modern aspects at the end of the century. The original artisan craft of booksellers and printers who sometimes were also editors in order to cope with the growing demand of readers however was still restricted and entrepreneurial firms were started up towards the end of the century. Some of these became specialised in the education field and popular culture, with the novelty of an increase in economical publications. The beginning of the twentieth century marked a turning point in publishing, both in the production of texts, due to the growth of the student population in elementary schools and even more in secondary schools. Editorial structures were set up thanks to appreciable financial capital and investment companies of individual publishing houses, formerly a family business. It is in this scenario, which is increasingly complex, dynamic and with innovative ideas that a strong protagonist, Giovanni Gentile, and Giuseppe Lombardo Radice, provide advice for various publishing houses, editors of magazines and collections of books, mainly directed towards teachers. From the south the contacts quickly branched off to the Centre and the North and those with particular relevance took Prezzolini group of "The Voice", which made other significant publishing ventures. From the metamorphosis of this group, which changed after the end of World War I, the publishing house Attilio Vallecchi was started. It played a leading role in the spreading of the education culture, particularly the foreign one by the enterprising Codignola Ernesto, who developed a strong and lasting partnership with the Florentine publisher Vallecchi, who immediately made him the manager of a vast number of historical, philosophical and pedagogical book collections. It is obvious that when Gentile became the Minister of Education in Mussolini's first government, with full legislative powers too, he gave a new attitude to the education system at all levels. That institutional position of strength enabled the group to fully implement its presence in the education field. The first step consisted of destroying all the textbooks that were not in harmony with the new cultural axis, replacing them with more compliant ones with the new education and cultural inspiration. The second step was to gain control over the editorial policy and cultural education of the time, making a thorough examination of all books produced for the elementary school, by setting up a special commission by the central Ministry of Education. It is easy to imagine the cultural and economic impact that such actions produced and the problems the occurred in the editorial structure, with small and medium-sized enterprises which had resolved to close down quickly or convert their production, leaving the school market which was now very unstable. But even for the bigger publishing houses the destabilizing effects were not negligible. The 1923 reform, therefore, had a very important turning point in the education history and a strong reference to our current school system.