De Agostini is a well-known company established in Italy in 2001. It is rightly regarded as one of Europe's most influential publishing groups and has celebrated a century of productive publishing. The company was founded in 1901, when geographer De Agostini opened a geographical institute bearing his name in the Italian capital. The first instalment of an encyclopaedia appeared in 1959 and was sold throughout Italy. Since then, the company's publishing activities have spread to almost 40 countries. It issues more than 250 titles annually, with sales exceeding €1 billion.
De Agostini began operating in Russia in 2004 and soon became the country's leading publisher of collectible publications, or partworks. During that period it released more than 10 partworks. The company also plans to consolidate its achievements in 2008.
De Agostini has released eight collections in Kazakhstan since 2005. It began operating in Ukraine in 2007, launching several collections, including the magazine series ‘Avtolegendy SSSR’ (Automobile Legends of the USSR).