Official Web site: UTET (Unione Tipografica Editrice Torinese)
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An important publisher from Turin, Giuseppe Pomba was born in 1795. Turin has dedicated a street to him, where his historic printing house was located.
The arcades of the street leading to Piazza Bodoni still maintain their original appearance today, with their characteristic medallions desired by Giuseppe Pomba as advertisements for his works.
He began working in the small printing house that his father had with his partner Giuseppe Ferrero from a young age.
Upon his father’s death in 1805, he continued to take care of the printing house under the guidance of a paternal uncle.
In 1814, with the return of the Savoys to Turin, the closed number imposed by Napoleon for printing companies was abolished. His mother then asked the authorities for permission to open a new printing house. The shop would have 4 presses, some fonts, and even a small capital.
Once permission was granted to open the print shop, Pomba found himself in a market that was only apparently free. In fact, almost all publications were the prerogative of the Royal Printing House.
However, through his diligence and ability, he quickly became one of the most important printers in Turin. In 1818, thanks to discounted postal rates, he began the publication of a work in several volumes. Completed in 1835 after 108 issues.
Upon his mother’s death in 1824, Giuseppe Pomba took full control of the business. He could now boast 49 employees and 16 presses.
Giuseppe Pomba’s publishing
Giuseppe Pomba In 1828, he began his most ambitious project: The People’s Library. Unlike previous works, this was aimed at the people (craftsmen, students, employees, etc.). Pomba offered a modest typographic style and an affordable cost of 50 cents per volume.
Inside, one could find the works of all the great authors of Italian literature. The People’s Library was a great success throughout Italy, reaching as many as 10,000 copies for a total of 100 volumes.
In 1830, he purchased a state-of-the-art printing machine (Cowper’s Patent Machine) and obtained an exclusive right. No one else was permitted to import the machine to Turin.
Moreover, as business grew, so did the company, with a new establishment on Carlo Alberto Street.
In 1836, by then famous, Pomba was arrested in Alessandria. The circumstances were never clear. The authorities accused him of printing and selling prohibited publications like Young Italy. However, no evidence was ever found. No copy or matrix was present in his print shops. He was finally released after about a month in prison.
Having abandoned the bookselling business, he dedicated himself entirely to publishing. In 1844, he proposed the Livorno Book Emporium.
The project involved the publication of a periodic magazine that contained the details of all national publications. The idea was to have a sort of national register that protected publishers from the production and sale of unauthorized copies. However, the project quickly failed.
Always attentive to evolution and new technologies, in 1847 he was the first to purchase a steam engine. Two years later, Giuseppe Pomba left the company to his son Cesare and his nephew Luigi.
Giuseppe Pomba’s final projects
Elected to the Turin City Council in 1848, he proposed the opening of a Municipal Library. By 1855, the Library had reached a collection of about a thousand volumes donated by Giuseppe Pomba himself.
In 1854, Giuseppe Pomba proposed the establishment of a publishing company. Together with the Social Printing House of Typographic Artists and the Typography of Progress, they founded the Unione Tipografica Editrice Torinese (UTET). The initial capital was 750,000 lire.
To be fair, the founding date of UTET is often indicated as 1791. Indeed, it was in that year that Giuseppe Pomba’s father opened the first shop.
Finally, in 1869, he became the first president of the Italian Booksellers Association.
He died in 1876.
The Madallions Palace
Giuseppe Pomba is also credited with the distinctive palace overlooking Piazza Bodoni. This was the location of his first historic printing house.
He had 52 round medallions installed, depicting all the famous authors he published. The medallions are placed on the sides of the arcade’s arches and face each other in pairs.
Legend has it that on the first full moon night of each month, the authors depicted in the medallions converse with each other, filling Bodoni with whispers and sighs.