This book by Roberto Calasso (b. 1941), an Italian novelist and translator, one of the founders and longtime director of the renowned Milanese publishing house Adelphi, contains essays on publishing—a distinctive art form that flourished in the 20th century and is now in danger of disappearing. The author shares his reflections on the essence and fate of this art form, recalls the outstanding publishers he knew, and recounts the development of his publishing house, one of the most prominent in Europe over the past fifty years.