On Nov 21st, Ben Cole said "...There is an interesting book from the 80s called "Italian Bicycle Industry" ... chock full of images from ... bike & component makers plus manufacturers of all thing.... i see the books at amazon used for about $67 ..."
I obtained this book after Ben mentioned it on CR. It is entitled "Italian Bicycle Industry: The Buyers Guide," dated 1988. It does have nice photos of bikes and entire product lines or selected products. It is useful in giving a company history sketch, so that brings it within CR scope for a 1988 book. Miche components are made by Fac Michelin S.P.A. for example (which the CR Archives could tell you too).
It is an interesting book, but it is selective, and gives no details on products, and is not a treatise on Italian bicycles and bicycle industry at that time. For example, it doesn't cover small builders except maybe one or three. It is great fun to page through as eye candy, the book's evident purpose as a promotional item.
Lower cost copies can be sourced via bookfinder.com . I purchased a copy for $10 including shipping via sourcing it on bookfinder.com However the least expensive copy I see now is $29. There is competitive pricing on out-of-print books by sellers scoping out the competition, so check back if you want it for less.
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Peter Brueggeman
La Jolla California USA
4peebee(at)peterbrueggeman.com