ITALIAN PROG English version. 784 pages (120 in full colour), hard cover, with bonus CD (first 500 copies), more than 560 artists AMS 2008 (2009 reissue has soft cover)	ITALIAN PROG Japanese version. 640 pages (64 colour), soft cover, with bonus CD Marquee Inc. 2009

Not too many books and other sources of information on Italian prog, especially for non-Italian language readers.

Here are some of my main sources of information, starting with the Italian ones:

ENCYCLOPEDIAS AND DISCOGRAPHIES

• Fabio Marchignoli - Pop italiano d'ispirazione cristiana (self-produced 2008) - a full colour book + bonus 24-tracks CD dedicated to the Christian-inspired pop music in Italy during the 70's and 80's
• Alessandro Gaboli/Giovanni Ottone - Progressive italiano (Giunti 2007) - a pocket guide on the Italian prog albums, detailed and in full colour
• Davide Motta Fre' - Promesse d'amore (self-produced 2006) - a nice and very detailed book, with pictures and discographies, on the Italian melodic groups of the 70's
• Paolo Barotto/Marco D'Ubaldo - Rock progressivo italiano - The complete discography (Mediane 2006) - a nice (and heavy) photographic book, with full discographies on the Italian progressive of the 70's - includes a 15-track CD sampler of this style
• Paolo Barotto - Il ritorno del pop italiano (5th edition - self produced 2003) - in Italian, but an older English version exists, updated to 1997
• Paolo Barotto - 100 foto storiche (self produced 2003) - great black & white pictures of 70's artists
• Valentino Flesca - Il pop e progressive in Italia (self-produced 1995)
• Cesare Rizzi & others - Enciclopedia del rock italiano (Arcana 1993)

ESSAYS AND STUDIES

• NEW Claudio Pescetelli - Nudi & crudi (Piccola storia dei Festival Pop Italiani) vol. 1 (I Libri del Mondo Capellone 2010) - excellent and well documented history of the pop festivals in Italy between 1968 and 1972
• NEW Cristina di Giorgi/Ippolito E.Ferrario - Il nostro canto libero - Il neofascismo e la musica alternativa: lotta politica e conflitto generazionale negli anni di piombo (Castelvecchi 2010) - history of the so-called "alternative music" scene, born in the 70's in the right-wing political movements
• Riccardo Storti - Rock map (Viaggio in Italia dal 1967 al 1980) (Aereostella 2009) - an essay on the roots of Italian rock and the evolution of progressive music in Italy
• Al Aprile/Luca Majer - La musica rock-progressiva europea (Gammalibri 1980 - reissued by Calypso 2009) - very difficult to find in its original form, this has finally been reissued; an interesting essay on the less commercial European progressive productions, but with few Italian artists
• Maurizio Galia/Claudio Aloi/Giuseppe Di Spirito/Roberto Vanali/Franco Vassia/Donato Zoppo - Prog 40 (Edizioni Applausi 2009) - an essay on 40 years of progressive music in the world, including the italian scene
• Massimo Forni - Lungo le vie del prog (Storia del rock progressivo italiano - Personaggi e opere dal 1971 al 2008) (Palladino 2008) - history of progressive rock in Italy since the early 70's
• Innocenzo Alfano - Verso un’altra realtà (Aracne 2006) - a study on the methods of composition used by rock musicians, the book also contains a part specifically dedicated to progressive music
• Giordano Casiraghi - Anni 70: generazione rock (Editori Riuniti 2005) - interviews with the main witnesses of those years, also includes a part on discographies, but rather incomplete
• Innocenzo Alfano - Fra tradizione colta e popular music: il caso del rock progressivo (Aracne 2004) - an academic introduction to the progressive rock, also including some pages dedicated to the Italian 70's scene
• Riccardo Storti/Donato Zoppo/Paolo Carnelli - Racconti a 33 giri (CSPI/MovimentiProg/Wonderous Stories 2003) - detailed reviews of 50 essential Italian LP's
• Umberto Bultrighini/Gianni Oliva - Dopo i Beatles: musica e società negli anni settanta (Carabba 2003) - the proceedings of a 2001 meeting on music and society in the 70's, with interesting contributions by PFM members Mussida, Di Cioccio and Djivas
• Riccardo Storti - Progressive in Italia (Associazione Nonsolomorego/CSPI 2002) - historical review of the Italian prog evolution
• Pio De Bellis - Ricerche per una apoteosi del pop italiano (self-produced 2000)
• Piersandro Pallavicini - Quei bravi ragazzi del rock progressivo (Ritmi Theoria 1998)
• Lodovico Ellena - Storia della musica psichedelica italiana (Menhir 1998)
• Francesco Mirenzi - Rock progressivo italiano voll. I & II (Castelvecchi 1997)
• Saverio Angiolini/Enzo Gentile - Note di pop italiano (Gammalibri 1977) - now difficult to find and highly questionable in their statements
• (Anonymous) - Libro bianco sul pop in Italia (Arcana 1976) - now difficult to find and highly critical of the whole music scene

BEAT, SIXTIES, EIGHTIES

• NEW Alessio Marino - BEATi voi n.5 (Beat Boutique 67 - 2010) - pictures and interviews with some musicians from the 60's and 70's, this issue is mostly dedicated to progressive bands
• Alessio Marino - POPzzolo - Viaggio tra i complessi beat e pop degli anni 60 e 70 del basso Alessandrino (Beat Boutique 67 - 2009) - pictures and interviews with some 60's and 70's musicians from the Alessandria area, including some which played in progressive bands
• Alessio Marino - BEATi voi nos.1-4 (Beat Boutique 67 - 2007/2009) - pictures and interviews with some musicians from the 60's and 70's, including some which played in progressive bands
• Claudio Pescetelli - Una generazione piena di complessi (Zona 2006) - a detailed guide on the Italian beat groups until 1970
• Roberto Iurza - Il beat..cos'è (Puleio Press 2006) - a history of beat in Italy
• Tiziano Tarli - Beat italiano (Castelvecchi 2005 - updated 2nd ed. with bonus CD Castelvecchi 2007) - not specifically on the 70's prog music, but an enjoyable reading on the Italian youth and society in the 60's. The 2nd edition includes a bonus CD with 14 original tracks from "Beat masses"
• Claudio Pescetelli - Ciglia ribelli (I Libri del Mondo Capellone 2003) - as above, this is on the 60's all-girl Italian beat groups, but an interesting book, useful to understand the Italian youth of those years
• Paolo Dovico/Luigi Riganti - Vinile italiano (Self produced 2002) - great work, mainly concentrated on punk/wave/indie, but there is some prog too
• Giovanni Berti - Catalogo dei 45 giri del beat italiano (Paludi 1998)

MUSIC IN THE CITIES

• Antonio Rosetti - Senza tempo noi 1964-79: il rock a Forlì (self-produced 2008) - the history of rock in Forlì
• Riccardo Storti - Codice Zena (Aereostella 2005) - a great in-depth analysis of the rock in Genoa since the late 60's, with interviews and discographies
• Gianpiero Madonna - I Beatles e i Genesis in Canavese (Lampi di Stampa 2005) - a nice booklet on the diffusion of rock in the Canavese area, between 1962 and 1974, with all the groups and the musical events of those years
• Renato Marengo/Michael Pergolani - Enciclopedia del pop rock napoletano (RAI-ERI 2003) - updated story of rock and pop in Naples
• Bruno Casini/Ernesto De Pascale - Anni di musica - Itinerari musicali in Toscana dal 1960 (Materiali Sonori 2003 - includes 2 audio CD's) - the rock scene in Florence and Tuscany, mainly in the 60's and 80's
• Andrea Tinti - Enciclopedia del rock bolognese (Punto e Virgola 2001) - mainly focused on the 80's and 90's artists
• Luigi Di Fonzo - Il rock in Abruzzo (EcamLab 2000) - history of rock and prog in Abruzzo since the early 60's
• Manuel Emanuelli/Fabrizio Marcheselli - Storia della musica leggera parmigiana dal 1950 al 2000 (TLC 1999) - the history of popular music in Parma, including some pages dedicated to the progressive groups of that area
• Renato Marengo/Michael Pergolani - Song 'e Napule (RAI-ERI 1998) - rock and prog in Naples
• Giampiero Bigazzi/Ernesto De Pascale/Bruno Casini - Firenze sogna! Itinerari musicali 1976-1983 (Materiali Sonori 1993 - includes audio CD) - the rock scene in Florence

GROUPS AND ARTISTS OF THE ITALIAN PROGRESSIVE

• Brunetto Salvarani/Odoardo Semellini - Terra in bocca (Il Margine 2009) - A nice monograph on the bravest album by I Giganti, includes a CD with the original album and a bonus track
• Patrizio Fariselli - Storie elettriche (Auditorium 2008) - The story of Area seen from the inside through a series of short stories
• Antonio Oleari - Un viaggio lungo 40 anni - Senza orario, senza bandiera (Aereostella 2008) - A book entirely dedicated to New Trolls and their legendary first album
• Riccardo Storti - New Trolls: dal pesto al sushi (Aereostella 2008) - The story of the most popular group from Genova and one of the most important and well-loved bands in Italy
• Oronzo Balzano - Le Orme - Il mito, la storia, la leggenda (Bastogi 2007) -  All about one of the most important and loved Italian prog groups
• Banco Music Club - ...e mi viene da pensare (Banco Music Club 2006) - An illustrated book with all the lyrics and discography of Banco del Mutuo Soccorso, by their Fan Club
• Donato Zoppo - Premiata Forneria Marconi - 1971-2006, 35 anni di rock immaginifico (Editori Riuniti 2006) -  A very detailed history of one of the most important Italian rock groups of all time
• Gian Piero Trifirò - Storia e leggenda (Orme Music Club 2006) - 300 pages with the story of Le Orme!
• Compagnia dell'Anello - Altre storie (Compagnia dell'Anello 2006) -  All the lyrics from their 3 albums "trilogy" in an illustrated book on Compagnia dell'Anello
• Giovanni Aloisio - Goblin (Un Mondo a Parte 2005) - Everything you may want to know about Goblin
• Alessandro Pomponi - Franco Battiato (Coniglio 2005) - An illustrated discography, rich of colour pictures and details
• Gianpaolo Chiaricò - Area / Musica e rivoluzione (Stampa Alternativa 2005) - The story of Area, with interviews and detailed analysis of their record production, includes CD "Parco Lambro 1976"
• Carmine Aymone - Je stò ccà.....James Senese (Guida/Suonidelsud 2005) - The story of the leader of Showmen and Napoli Centrale, with a bonus 6-track CD 
• Franco Fabbri -  Album bianco (Arcana 2001 - updated 2nd ed. Arcana 2002) - Stormy Six guitarist traces a story of his band and the whole "Italian pop" scene. Very interesting
• Carmine Aymone - Osanna / Naples in the world (Afrakà 2001) - the story of Osanna with details on other Naples connected bands
• Cesare Monti - Lucio Battisti e la Numero Uno (Zargo 1999) - Nice photo book with the story of Numero Uno label
• Franz Di Cioccio - PFM Due volte nella vita (Mondadori 1996) - PFM story written by the band's drummer

here's a few English written books on the subject:

• Dag Erik Asbjornsen - Scented gardens of the mind (Borderline - UK 2000) - in English, with a large chapter on Italian artists
• Thierry Sportouche/Jacques Toni - Storia di un minuto (Acid Dragon - France 1994 - a small booklet that could serve as a good introduction for the novices)

and a Japanese one, containing black & white pictures of all the records described, but difficult to understand for non-Japanese readers:

• Encyclopedia of Italian rock (Marquee - Japan 1993) - in Japanese with English titles