The publishing house Feltrinelli was founded in Milan towards the end of 1954 by Giangiacomo Feltrinelli who, in 1949, had set up the Giangiacomo Feltrinelli Library dedicated to the study of contemporary history and social movements.
The publishing house took over what was left of the Coli (Cooperativa del Libro Popolare, Cooperative of the popular book 1949-1954), and, in particular, one of its most prestigious publications, the series "Universale Economica".
At first, the head office was at N.15 Via Fatebenefratelli, but by 1957 the editorial staff had moved to the present offices at N. 6 Via Andegari, the building here represented. The editors Luigi Diemoz, Gian Piero Brega, Valerio Riva, Luciano Bianciardi, the editorial secretary Renata Cambiaghi and the graphic artist Albe Steiner all collaborated with the publisher. Another editorial office was later opened in Rome, under the guidance of Giorgio Bassani.
The first two volumes, Nehru’s Autobiografia and Il flagello della svastica by Lord Russell, Liverpool, appeared 18^th June, 1955.

In 1961 the Giangiacomo Feltrinelli Institute, together with the library, moved from N. 35 Via Scarlatti where it had been founded in 1957 to the same building in Via Andegari, but with its own entrance from N.3 via Romagnosi.

1955

Rome 8th July, 1955. Giangiacomo Feltrinelli presents Jawaharlal Nehru with the Italian edition of his Autobiografia. Sitting beside him is his daughter, Indira Gandhi, who was to lead the Indian government in the future. The previous April, together with Ciu En Lai, the Indian Prime Minister had played a leading role at the historic Bandung Conference of the Afro-Asiatic States. Jawaharlal Nehru was in Rome on a State visit.

The first promotional leaflet of the Publishing House with the logo GGF. Asia figures in these first publications with Diario di Hiroshima by Michihiko Hachiya, Il bisturi e la spada . La storia del dottor Brthune by Sydney Gordon and Ted Allan , La vera storia di AhQ e altri racconti by Lu Hsun.


"L'Indicatore", an informative bookstore journal, was edited by EDA (Associated Publishers and Distributers). Feltrinelli entered the group and, in 1963, formed a merger. In 1955, the first year of activity, the Publishing House brought out twenty books. The choice of titles is an indication of the features that were to characterise future publications in four different series.


In the photo (from left) Lord Russell from Liverpool, Albe Steiner, outstanding personality of postwar graphic art and Luigi Diemoz, editor of the non-fiction and the history series.