VALLE, BATTISTA DELLA.:

VALLO LIBRO CONTINENTE APPERTENENTIE AD CAPITANII, RETENERE & FORTIFICARE UNA CITTA CON BASTIONI, CON NOVI ARTIFICII DE FUOCO AGGIONTI, COME NELLA TABOLA APPARE & DE DIVERSE S0RTE POLVERE, ET DE EXPUGNARE UNA CITTA CON PONTI, SCALE, ARGANI, TROMBE,

      Venice, 1524. First Edition TRENCIERE, ARTEGLIARIE, CAVE, DARE AVISAMENTI SENZA MESSO ALLO AMICO, FARE ORDINANZE, BATTAGLIONI, ET PONTI DE DISFIDA CON LO PINGERE, OPERA MOLTO UTILE CON LA EXPERIENTIA DE L'ARTE MILITARE. SECOND EDITION, Venice, no printer's name (Gregorio De Gregori?), 1524, Italian text, Small 8vo, 150 x 95 mm, 6 x 3¾ inches, title page with woodcut pictorial border by Eustachio Celebrino, showing at the top Mars and Bellona, Roman god and goddess of war, 2 soldiers fighting with swords and shields, at the sides weapons and armour and at the bottom 2 armies facing each other, 10 full page woodcut illustrations, 11 illustrations in the text, 1 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, 6 full page, 4 large decorated initials, leaves (8), 71 (142 pages), lacking final blank leaf, leaf 65 supplied in very good professional facsimile, distinguishable only by the horizontal chain lines of the paper, bound in modern half calf over patterned paper boards, raised bands and blind rules to spine, no label or lettering. Title page upper margin cropped close not affecting woodcut border, 2 small inkstains affecting border, occasional pale marks to margins, small ink mark to 1 text page with loss of 2 letters, small stain to another, no loss of legibility, small closed tear to 1 lower margin, tiny paper flaw to 1 lower corner, light brown stain to upper edge of leaves 49-71, small light brown stain to last 3 leaves, no loss of legibility, small margin corner cut from final leaf. A very good copy of a scarce early military and firework book.The first edition was published in 1521 and is exceptionally scarce. 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. These occupy the last 3 unnumbered leaves at the beginning and have the following headings: Per far trombe de fuoco de mirabile faccione; Per far balle de bronzo da trazere in un battagion de fanti, lequale schiopando fan grandissimo danno; Per fare fiaschi overo pignatelle di fuoco artificiato da trazere. This is probably the first printed description of military fireworks of this kind. See Chris Philip, A Bibliography of Firework Books, page 152, No. V010.1 listing the 1524 edition. The rest of the book deals with all aspects of besieging and defending a city including earthwork fortifications, and with battle formations and manoeuvres. Cockle, Bibliography of Military Books up to 1642, page 197 No. 765 listing the 1524 edition: "Il Vallo (The Defence), where it concerns engineering and artillery, is taken almost entirely from the ancients. Dela 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." Image attached with this item, more images sent on request.