Antonio Vallardi ( 1813 - 1876)

Important Italian publisher and the founder of the renowned Antonio Vallardi publishing house. Born into a family with a rich publishing heritage in Milan, his grandfather Cesare Vallardi (1736-1799) began publishing books in Contrada Santa Margherita during the 1750s. Continuing the family legacy, Vallardi’s father, Pietro (1770-1819), and uncle Giuseppe (1784-1861) carried on the publishing business, renaming it Fratelli Vallardi. They gained prominence as publishers of books and art prints. Following in the footsteps of his father and uncle, Antonio Vallardi established his own publishing house in 1843, three years after his brother Francesco had founded his own. The Antonio Vallardi publishing house became well-known for its academic and linguistic works, as well as its production of maps.

The Vallardi family continued to operate the publishing house until 1970 when they sold the firm to Garzanti, marking the end of an era for the renowned Antonio Vallardi publishing house.