Catalogue of the show held at the Biblioteca Nazionale Centrale (BNC) in Florence (December 22, 2011 - February 28, 2012) to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the Royal Decree of December 22, 1861, signed by Francesco De Sanctis, establishing the National Library of the new Kingdom of Italy through the merger of the Biblioteca Magliabechiana and Biblioteca Palatina. The volume tells the story of the BNC, outlining its key contributions to national and international culture. It also outlines the Librarys projects for the future, focusing on the complex task of meeting the challenges of the digital age. The illustrations reproduce some of the BNCs treasures and most significant holdings. There is a fuller discussion of the major events in the Librarys history: the move to its current premises, the 1966 flood, the current conversion of the Tribuna Galileiana and adjacent areas into library space, and the opening of an initial exhibition route through the building that will enable visitors to discover paintings, busts, and other works of art from the BNCs collections. Contributions by Silvia Alessandri, Franca Arduini, Giovanni Bergamin, Lucia Bigliazzi, Artemisia Calcagni, Alessandro Canonici, Gloria Cerbai, Lucia Chimirri, Gian Luca Corradi, Laura Crociani, Erasmo DAngelis, Gianna Del Bono, Giuseppe Ferrini, Francesca Filippeschi, Antonia Ida Fontana, Elisabetta Francioni, Paolo Galluzzi, Antonio Giardullo, Paola Gibbin, Tommaso Giordano, Maria Chiara Giunti, Gisella Guasti, Carla Guiducci Bonanni, Vincenzo Iorio, Anna Lucarelli, Antonella Lumini, Novella Maggiora, Maria Mannelli Goggioli, Sergio Marchini, Vera Martinoli, Clara Mazzetti, Gianna Megli, Isabella Melozzi, Pierantonio Metelli, Lucia Milana, Carla Moretti, Palmira Panedigrano, Federica Paradisi, Dina Pasqualetti, Susanna Pelle, Susanna Peruginelli, Chiara Pestelli, Alberto Petrucciani, Carlo Picchietti, Paola Pirolo, Marta Ricci, Valeria Ronzani, Libero Rossi, Anna Maria Russo, Alessandro Sardelli, Piero Scapecchi, Maria Letizia Sebastiani, Alessandro Sidoti, Carlo Sisi, Riccardo Tacchinardi, Ulisse Tramonti, Franca Trinci, Francesca Tropea, Isabella Truci, and Francesca Zaccagni.
