Milestones of Science Books

LIPSIUS, Justus.

Poliorceticon sive de machinis tormentis telis. Libri Quinque.

Antwerp: Officina Plantiniana, apud viduam, & Joannem Moretum, 1596.

1st Edition. Hardcover. Very Good. Item #003631

4to (255 x 175 mm). [16], 267, [9] pp., engraved printer's mark on title-page, woodcut printer's mark at final leaf recto, woodcut initials and tailpieces, 33 mostly full-page etched illustrations showing battle formations and examples of military engineering. Text in Latin and Greek. Near contemporary vellum with yapp edges, spine hand lettered (vellum slightly soiled, upper inner hinge broken before title, lacking two pairs of ties). Text with little even browning, occasional minor spotting, ink smudge at fore-margin of 4 pages, faint dampstaining to upper corner of 3 leaves. Very good copy in untouched binding. ----

RARE FIRST EDITION of a treatise on the machinery of war by Justus Lipsius (1547-1606), one of the leading Dutch humanists of the 16th century. He wrote this while a professor at Louvain. He was a close friend of Plantin and his successor Moretus, who between them, published nearly all the first editions of Lipsius' works. The present work deals primarily with siege warfare, from both the offensive and defensive aspects, including ancient siege equipment and fortifications. The illustrations show the various methods of attack and defense and the deployment of the weapons used. - Visit our website to see more images!

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