The smell of books: Intimate details in Italian culture, by Giampiero Mugini

The duty of true knights is to draw their swords of war, and look with awe because they know they will die when their enemies throw fire and iron upon them. A battle was named in a film produced in 1936 (where the fighting was led by an English officer played by the actor Errol Flynn) called the Battle of the Six Hundred, do you remember it? The Battle of Balaklava, October 25, 1854, in Crimea (an alliance of English, French, and Turkish against the Russian Empire). Knights of the British Light Brigade attacked Russian troops who were protected by artillery in front of them. Knights ran two kilometers in a battle, called by an English poet "The Valley of Death." (Alfred Tennyson. The translator) This is what you are about to "look at" and read in the following pages. War gathers knights armed with swords, with soldiers who enjoy a better status and equipment in battle. You will admire those knights, knight after knight; their elegance, bravery, and heroism. However, here (in this battle, phrase) are fragile creatures, made of paper, occupying a small height and width on the desktop, and they are not lacking in courage or daring. They are books and booklets from the twentieth century, wrapped in thin or thick paper covers, each consisting of a few pages, or printed leaflets from both sides. Few and thin as they are in the pages of this book you are about to read. You will find books that attack digital artillery fires, and an army of free pages that pop up from clicks on your electronic tablet or computer, a beautiful and ugly environment in today’s communication world, Facebook, and Instagram. Number of pages: 151