Since the beginning, Archivorum has supported the work of independent art publishers by collaborating on artists’ book publications and collecting their complete catalogues for its libraries in France and Italy, ensuring public and comprehensive access to their full body of work. For the second installment of Publishers Talks, our editorial series dedicated to the publishers we work with, we are thrilled to present Humboldt Books.
Based in Milan, Humboldt Books has been developing a rich and eclectic catalogue for 14 years and has become a staple of the art publishing industry. Originally founded by Giovanna Silva and Alberto Saibene with the idea of producing books in Italian that brought together the journeys of writers and photographers exploring different parts of the world, they have since significantly broadened their editorial scope into art, photography, literature, geography and critical theory, working with artists such as Nathalie du Pasquier, Simon Starling, and Jonas Mekas, among others. Their elegant and interdisciplinary catalogue is available for consultation in our Archivorum library in Megève, France.
Let’s start from the beginning: how did Humboldt Books come to life, and what lies behind the choice of its name?
Humboldt Books was founded in 2012, with the initial idea of publishing a series of books in Italian, each recounting the journey of a writer and a photographer in some of the world’s most fascinating places, cultures and landscapes. The results are explorations, travel diaries and photographic reportages. But soon we found ourselves also collaborating with Simon Starling and Haris Epaminonda on two artist’s books, which led to many more.
‘Humboldt’ is a tribute to Alexander von Humboldt: German polymath, geographer, naturalist, explorer (and much more) whose most fruitful travels were the ones through South America at the end of the eighteenth century. In his writings, he introduced concepts of ecology leading to ideas of environmentalism. During his lifetime Humboldt became one of the most famous men in Europe, but for different reasons his fame slowly diminished in the following centuries. What fascinates us in his work is also his awareness of the importance of pictorial restitution, through drawings, of the travel experience.
Can you introduce yourself? Who makes up the Humboldt Books team today, and what paths brought you to where you are now?
The publishing house is run by Giovanna Silva (Editor in Chief) and Alberto Saibene (partner); while the editorial team is constituted by Stefania Scarpini and Chiara Carpenter (editors). Elisa Di Nofa (communication) and Alberto Ceresa (promotion) recently joined the staff. From the beginning we chose to collaborate with different graphic designers, to keep things visually interesting – with Teresa Piardi as our standing advisor. Saibene, editor and writer, has always worked in publishing; Silva and Carpenter slowly transitioned from architecture to publishing through their participation in San Rocco magazine; while Scarpini, with a background in art history, met Silva at a time she was collaborating with Peep-Hole, a contemporary art institution operating back then in Milan. Humboldt Books’ catalogue is a combination of our interests: narrative, photography, architecture, art, landscape and graphic design, with a particular passion for what can
be found in private or public archives. We don’t all live in Milan, and we seldom work together at the office.
Your editorial projects blend literature, photography, and contemporary art but also give a strong place to Italian photography, especially of older photo series that might be lesser known by the public. How did this interdisciplinary approach take shape? What kinds of stories and experiences is Humboldt Books most interested in exploring and publishing?
The Time Travel series is the result of our collaboration with public and private archives of photographers, directors, architects and artists; we are constantly hunting for memorable journeys, explorations into knowledge and long-forgotten reportages from yesteryear. The authors of the photographs are mostly Italian, since it is way easier for us to discover such photographs exist. The first title we published – Iran 1970, with images by Gabriele Basilico –was also meant to be the
only one; but it did not take us long to realise this path had to be explored further: a second and a third title lined up, and we are currently about to publish the 26th issue. Our interest in historical materials, however, is not limited to this specific series; our favourite collaborations often include the exploration of some archive, along with contemporary photography, essays and narrative: one of our goals is to tell the same story from multiple points of view, through different languages and media.
How do collaborations with artists, writers, photographers, designers, and architects shape the final form of your books?
Our publications usually are the result of a collective effort, each one is unique and most of them come to life in unexpected ways, thanks to surprising encounters or discoveries. We only publish ten to twelve titles a year, which we carefully select, and which we like to develop together with our authors – as much as possible. As we collaborate with many graphic designers, we set the ground rule that covers must be typographical; and as much as we appreciate the new energy that each designer brings to our project, we must admit that we can be quite pushy with our requests.
Humboldt Books also revisits the classics of travel literature, curating new editions and bringing past adventures back to life with a contemporary touch. Can you give some examples of books that really resonate with you?
We were strongly inspired by Chris Marker’s Petite Planète guides, which are more literary insights into the countries they cover than travel reports. Furthermore, the choice of using the same cover –featuring a woman’s face, representing the country – each time modified with color and a touch of typography was a pioneering and brilliant choice. Director Chris Marker’s ability to narrate countries was a crucial point of reference for us.
Which journey has influenced your editorial identity the most? Or is there a specific book that has inspired you?
Rather than classic travel narratives, we draw inspiration from some classics of modern anthropology, such as the works of Margaret Mead and Gregory Bateson about Bali, particularly for the combination of text and images; or of the writings of Ruth Benedict about Japan, a trenchant analysis of a country difficult to decipher.
What are your upcoming projects for 2026 and 2027?
We’ve always been drawn to books that use architecture as a vehicle to narrate a particular historical moment or anthropological phenomenon. We’re currently working on several projects of this kind, aimed at architects as well as a wider audience. We are editing a book about Les Espaces d’Abraxas, a neighbourhood designed by Ricardo Bofill in Paris (where the movie Brazil by Terry Gilliam was shot), which features original drawings, incredible archive photographs of the construction site, critical essays and interviews with the inhabitants and with key figures in the project. As it often happens, the story of the buildings is closely intertwined with the lives of their inhabitants.
Another upcoming project is Veneto Moderno, an atlas of the architecture built in the second half of the 20th century in the north-eastern region of Italy, where the likes of Carlo Scarpa, Giancarlo De Carlo and Pier Luigi Nervi worked alongside a myriad of lesser-known architects. The book enables the creation of various itineraries and the exploration of architectural forms across different altitudes. It offers a new way of thinking, observing, forming opinions, and traversing a territory shaped, in part, by architecture.
.Thank you Humboldt Books!
Photo Credits from top to bottom :
© Left : Humboldt Books office, Milan (Italy). Photo © Giovanna Silva / Right : Humboldt Books latest books 2024–2025. Photo © Francesco Spallacci
© Left : Humboldt Books pop-up store at settantaventidue gallery, Milan (Italy), November 2025. Photo © zoll studio / Right : Humboldt Books pop-up store at settantaventidue gallery, Milan (Italy), November 2025. Photo © zoll studio
© Left : Printing process for the book: Stefano Ciavatta, Luca Galofaro (eds.), Roma vietata, Humboldt Books, 2026 / Right : Printing process for the book: Gabriele Basilico, Gabriele Basilico fotografa Aldo Rossi, Humboldt Books, 2026
© Left : Archive research for the book from our Time Travel series: Andrea Branzi, Mosca 1962, Humboldt Books, 2025 / Right : Archive research for the book from our Time Travel series: Gae Aulenti, Cina 1974, Humboldt Books, 2023
All photos by Humboldt Books and all answers by Humboldt Books edited by Chiara Carpenter