Ars et Labor is the title of a prestigious art and humanities magazine which was inaugurate by the Milanese publisher Ricordi in 1906, on the occasion of the International Exhibition of Sempione. In fact this series of reprints of books published in Milan between 1800 and 1900s wants to draw the attention of the wider public to the climate of dedication and commitment characterising these years by reproducing various pieces of scientific, technological and artistic work, enriched with new historical introductions, which are both rigorous and fascinating.

During these years Milan, moral capital of Italy and cradle of the Societa' Umanitaria and of the Critica sociale by Turati, an original model of society and applied science, shows an extraordinary ability to plan and actuate. We see innovations ranging from the municipality taking control of hydroelectric power to the network of co-operatives, from the building of council housing through to labour-medicine, from schools to publishing, from public libraries to... These are the years of the Carducci’s Inno a Satana and the Gran ballo Excelsior, of the triumphant success of Bel paese by Abbot Stoppani and of One hundred Leagues under the Sea by Verne.

The series Ars et Labor will bring back to light through the Web and the website Milano citta' delle scienze, the ideas and the work of this particular historic moment, by publishing online selected texts and making it possible to obtain a paper copy “on demand”. This will be carried out by the publishing house Lampi di stampa, who specialise in print on demand and who are already involved in recuperating works from the literary and artistic world of Milan and Lombardy which have aroused renewed interest.