The ITALIAN PROG book - English version 784 pages (120 full colour), hard cover, more than 560 artists

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 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)
• Al Aprile/Luca Mayer - La musica rock-progressiva europea (Gammalibri 1980) - now difficult to find and with few Italian artists
• 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

• 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 no.2 (Beat Boutique 67 - 2008) - pictures and interviews with some musicians from the 60's and 70's, including some which played in progressive bands
• Alessio Marino - BEATi voi no.1 (Beat Boutique 67 - 2007) - 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

• NEW 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
• 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:

• NEW Augusto Croce - Italian Prog (AMS/BTF 2008) - only in English, the book is taken from this site, with 120 colour pages with pictures of covers and labels. The first 500 copies include a CD with 19 mostly unreleased tracks
• 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