At a time when immigration reform is again challenging this immigrant nation, this time involving the Hispanics, it is useful to be reminded of another group that, like the Hispanics, first met with a less-than-warm welcome but eventually earned a seat and voice at the American table: the Italian-Americans.

Explorers Emigrants Citizens: A Visual History of the Italian American Experience provides that reminder, with a rich assemblage of archival photos, maps, posters, and letters culled from the vast holdings of The Library of Congress, along with text that sets the settings of various chapters of the Italian-American story. A multi-author work, the lead authors are Linda Barrett Osborne, a former senior writer and editor at the Library and a fourth-generation Italian-American, and Paolo Battaglia.

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