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ff. [8], 71, [1] leaves. One text leaf replaced in facsimile. Illustrated. 16mo. 155 mm. Italian Italic. Title page with woodcut pictorial border by Eustachio Celebrino. Ten full page woodcut illustrations; 11 illustrations in the text. One full page illustration shows fireworks, the others show siege engines, bastions, mines, battering rams, bridges, bellows and diving equipment, 26 typographical diagrams of battle formations. Decorative initials. References: BM STC Italian, 1465-1600 710; Cockle, M.J.D. Military books,; 765; Breman, P. Books on military arch. printed in Venice 317. Early full leather binding with raised bands tooled in blind. The first edition was published in 1521 and is very rare, It was the first book to contain a section on fortification but our edition, the second, was the first to contain the 3 brief chapters on fireworks. This is probably the first printed description of military fireworks of this kind. See Chris Philip, A Bibliography of Firework Books. "A military 'pocket'-manual, covering in four books the necessary knowledge and duties of an army captain. The first two books, after some general remarks on the position of a captain, treat the fortification of cities, camps and other sites, the construction of relevant machinery, both defense and attack, and other problems of military engineering. Many of these devices are reproduced, such as battering rams, scaling machines, a helmet for use under water, some simple constructions of water clocks, & c. The third book deals with tactics and battle formations and is illustrated with many typographical diagrams. The fourth and last discusses the rules of duels. It was one of the most popular early books on these practical military matters. Cockle says in describing this edition: ". where it concerns engineering and artillery, is taken almost entirely from the ancients. Della Valle has no scientific knowledge whatever, and writes from experience only. But the elementary character of his work made it accessible to the rudest soldier, and it ran through eleven editions in thirty-seven years, that is to say, more than any other military book in those times." Scarce. **PRICE JUST REDUCED! CHEST 1/1. Seller Inventory # 016VINCE
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