The \u201cG.B.ERCOLANI\u201d library of the Veterinary Faculty of Bologna University has a substantial historical collection of 2422 books and other printed items concerning farriery and veterinary medicine from the sixteenth century to the first decades of the twentieth.
This collection is named after Naldo Maestrini (1941-1994) because it is based on the generous donation of his \u201cAntique veterinary medicine book collection\u201d by his family following his premature death a few years ago.
Professor Maestrini, a former student of the Faculty who later held the Chair of Avian Pathology , was, in addition to being a rigorous scientist, a passionate bibliophile with a thorough knowledge of the history of veterinary medicine.
The Maestrini collection consisted of 715 printed works (books, manuscripts and public notices) of which 8 were from the 16th century, 11 from the 17th, 65 from the 18th, 274 from the 19th and 357 from the first half of the 20th century.
Antique books (including 4 from the 16th, 7 from the 17th and 35 from the 18th centuries) from the Anatomy and Animal Science sections of the Department of Veterinary Morphophysiology and Animal Production, and from the Infectious Diseases & Parasitology section of the Department of Veterinary Publich Health and Animal Pathology, have now been added to the collection.
With the acquisition of the Maestrini collection, Bologna, which also has in the main City Library (Biblioteca Comunale dell' Archiginnasio ) Ercolani\u2019s wonderful collection of manuscripts and old books on farriery, has surely become a prime centre for anyone interested in the history of veterinary medicine
