Books are our friends, are not drugs (although sometimes the order of treatment). It makes no sense that they are prescribed (the prescription generates proscription, the mandatory determines enmity). Those below are my friends, invitations to read, tips for purchasing.
(what information) Emanuele Pirelli, copywriters craft of art, The Assayer, Milan, 2002
Annamaria Testa, The word imagined - theory, practice and technique of the work of copywriters, Milan , Practical Publishing, 2000
David Ogilvy, advertising, Milan, Mondadori, 1983 (perhaps difficult to find)
Gabriella Ambrosio, We do as we say. The thought of quality in advertising, Meltemi, Roma, 2002
(dictionaries) Angelo Marchese, Dictionary of rhetoric and style, Milan, Mondadori, 1978
Paolo Albani Berlinghiero Buonarroti, Aga Mager difùra - Dictionary of imaginary languages, Bologna, Zanichelli, 1994
(picks theoretical) Barhes Roland, Camera Lucida, Einaudi, Torino, 1980
Sergio Benvenuto, rumors and gossip - Because we believe in what we tell, Bologna, Il Mulino, 2000 (including sociology, semiotics and psychoanalysis, a short but dense essay, in my opinion also useful for the course Sociology of Mass Communication)
Harold Bloom, The Cabala and the critical tradition, Milan, Feltrinelli, 1981 (Kabbalah and Criticism, New York, Seabury Press, 1975)
Harold Bloom, The anxiety of influence, Milan, Feltrinelli, 1983 (The Anxiety of Influence. A Theory of Poetry, New York, Oxford UP, 1973)
Harold Bloom, Agon. Towards a theory of revisionism, Milan, Spirals, 1985 (Agon: Towards a Theory of Revisionism, New York, Oxford UP, 1982)
Harold Bloom, A Map of dislettura, Milan, Spirals, 1988. (A map of misreading, New York, Oxford UP, 1975)
(Bloom's texts are perhaps difficult to find but they have the undoubted advantage of also be useful for the course Theory of literary criticism. Many of his interventions are also found on the web)
Jacques Derrida, Of Grammatology, Milan, Jaca Book, 1969 (De la grammatologie, Paris, Les Editions de Minuit, 1967) (I refer particularly to Part I)
Jacques Lacan, The Seminar, Book I. The technical writings of Freud, ed.it. by Giacomo Contri, Torino, Einaudi, 1978 (Le Séminaire de Jacques Lacan, Livre I, Seuil, 1975) (I refer in particular to chapters XIX The creative function of the word, XX De locutionis signification, The XXI truth arises from a misunderstanding, XXII The concept of analysis) Jabès Edmond, The Book of Questions , trad.it. Chiara Rebellato, Casale Monferrato, Edward Arnold, 1982 (Le Livre des Questions, Paris, Gallimard, 1963)
François Jullien, Praise dell'insapore. Since thought and aesthetics Chinese trad. com. Francesco Marsciani, Milano, Raffaello Cortina Editore, 1999 (Eloge de la Fadeur, Éditions Philippe Picquier, 1991)