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, no printer's name (Gregorio De Gregori?). 1524.. 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, 1524, in 4 books, Italian text. Small 8vo, approximately 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], 1-71 numbered on rectos only, making a total of 142 pages, lacking final blank leaf, 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 on 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 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. These occupy 3 unnumbered leaves following the Table 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. 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 and at some length the question 'qual sia maggior nobilita, le arme o le littere', whereby the author, an experienced captain himself, leaves no doubt about his preference. See: 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." MORE IMAGES ATTACHED TO THIS LISTING, ALL ZOOMABLE. FURTHER IMAGES ON REQUEST. POSTAGE AT COST.