Reviews

Colletta has produced the only recent guidebook for the millions of Italian Americans researching their family history, and the first that is truly authoritative. An authority on Italian genealogy and a well-known speaker and author, Colletta provides a book that is both helpful for beginners and an excellent source of detail for experienced researchers, especially in the Italian records chapters. The book focuses both on using sources in the United States to identify the places of origin of Italian ancestors and identifying repositories in Italy, including archives, religious records, and libraries. Practical tips are given for research and travel. Among the book's strengths are its glossary of Italian words an American is likely to encounter in research and its truly outstanding annotated bibliography. It's a great pity that some of the illustrations are hardly legible and that there is no index. Still, on balance, the book is well done and an essential guide for anyone undertaking Italian genealogy.-- Judith P. Reid, Library of Congress