VILLE, ANTHOINE DE.:

DE LA CHARGE DES GOUVERNEURS DES PLACES.

      Paris,1639. Ou sont contenus tous les ordres qu'on doit tenir pour preparer les choses necessaires dans une place, tant pour la conserver, comme pour la deffendre, & pour s'empescher de toute sorte de surprises; un discours facile pour reconnoistre tous les deffauts des places, & pour y scavoir remedier; un abrege de la fortification, ou il est traitte en quoy consiste sa perfection, & tout ce qu'un Cavalier & un homme de Commandement en doit scavoir, pour en discourir, & pour s'en servir: de plus y est adiouste un traitte des Parties de guerre. FIRST EDITION, French text, Paris, Matthieu Guillomot, 1639. Small folio bound in sixes, 295 x 190 mm, 11½ x 7½ inches, additional engraved pictorial title page, 7 engraved plates, all but 1 with text on reverse, a few small text illustrations or diagrams, woodcut head- and tail pieces and initials, pages (12), 292, (8) - index, bound in full antique calf, gilt ruled border to covers, raised bands and gilt rules to spine, gilt lettered label. Covers and corners slightly worn, head and tail of spine slightly chipped, small repair at tail of spine, rear endpaper missing, engraved title reinserted on a tab, very slight loss to inner margin, not affecting image, lower edge just slightly worn, tiny piece missing from lower outer corner, some pages lightly age-browned, very occasional small pale stain, pale brown stain to inner edge of 2 plates, no loss of image, stain persists on inner margins of next 7 text leaves, fore-edge margin of 1 plate cropped. Binding tight and firm. A very good copy of the very scarce first edition. The work covers the defence, fortifications, and management of a stronghold, weapons, discipline and troop formations, treatment of civilians. Anthoine de Ville (1596-1656?) was a mathematicien, soldier, expert on fortifications and eventually appointed "Ingenieur du Roi". He was employed by Cardinal Richelieu to whom our book is dedicated, to inspect various fortifications on behalf of the government of France. He was the author of 3 other works on fortifications: "Obsidio Corbeiensis" (1637), "Siege de Hesdin" (1639), and "Les Fortifications" (1640). Cockle, Military Books up to 1642, No. 830; Library of the Earls of Macclesfield, Part 10, No. 3832. Images sent on request.