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 Beginnings Between the wars After the II World War The eighties Since 2000 2007, the Centenary |
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Between the wars
1920-1930The decade when Mondadori establishes itself as a publisher of books and magazines with the successful launch of different series (Le Grazie, Romanzi d'Oggi, Le Scie and La biblioteca Romantica edited by Giuseppe Antonio Borgese in 1931), and with the creation of the first magazines (Novella, La Donna, Romanzo Film, Il Milione and Il Secolo Illustrato, a title whose editorial formula was the forerunner of future illustrated magazines).
In the static, traditional publishing sector of the time, Arnoldo Mondadori stands out for his dynamism, and for him the main objective is perfectly clear: to develop the publishing house at the same pace as the market develops. For this reason he is not content to snatch the most important authors away from the other publishing houses, but courageously concentrates on producing large print-runs of books with a large circulation, creating the first national network of agents and anticipating the technique of direct marketing with a system of direct sales of books to the public that quickly number 50,000 customers.
1922The Mondadori Encyclopedia dei Ragazzi, published in weekly instalments, is started, representing a highly innovative publishing venture for the period.
1926
Arnoldo Mondadori buys the rights for the publication of Opera Omnia by Gabriele d'Annunzio, which subsequently has an exhilaratingly successful season. The year sees the beginning of a long period of acquisitions of the most important Italian authors, including Luigi Pirandello, Giovanni Pascoli, Giovanni Verga, Antonio Fogazzaro and Grazia Deledda.
1929
The Gialli Mondadori series is created, the first Italian series dedicated to detective stories. The series is so successful that it gives its name to a literary and cinema genre.
Arnoldo Mondadori with Walt Disney
(seated) and his brother Roy Disney
1933
Overcoming the autocratic restrictions imposed by the fascist regime, Mondadori creates the Medusa series, featuring the works of internationally famous authors. Medusa ushers in the creative decade of some of the most important Italian literary series, including I Classici Italiani, edited by Francesco Flora (1934), Classici Contemporanei Italiani (1939) and Lo Specchio (1940).
1935
Arnoldo Mondadori signs an agreement with Walt Disney that represents the first important international agreement signed by an Italian company in the publishing sector. From this year on, the Mondadori name is associated with Walt Disney's famous creations for children.
1937
The Omnibus fiction series is started. Among the first titles to be published is Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell, one of the biggest selling books of all time.
1938Grazia, the first modern women's weekly magazine, destined to achieve very high circulation figures, is published.
1939
Tempo, the forerunner of the great news magazines that were published after the war in Italy, makes its debut. The magazine is edited by Alberto Mondadori, Arnoldo's eldest son.
1942
To avoid bombing, the company headquarters and editorial staff are transferred to Arona where, after the 8 September 1943, they are requisitioned by the government of the Repubblica Sociale Italiana. The Mondadori family flees to Switzerland.