Company archives can provide real surprises. But few can also convey a sense of history like those of the Generali. The structure of the books, one devoted to the nineteenth-century and one to the twentieth-century, is based on closely related document entries and personnel entries, centered on particular events and personalities connected with the Assicurazioni Generali, the largest insurance company in Italy and third in the world, starting out from some of the most significant records preserved in the insurance company''s historical archives.

General historical profiles and short accounts of curiosities from contemporary news reports set the entries against their national and international background. The lavishly illustrated volumes are completed by essays on specific aspects of the company''s history and its archives, and by a comprehensive index of all the management positions from 1831 to 1981, in alphabetical and chronological order.