POSSIBLY THE EARLIEST WORK TO DEAL EXCLUSIVELY WITH ARTILLERY

COLLADO, LUIGI. - FIREWORKS - PYROTECHNICS.

Pratica Manuale di Artigleria....Nuouamente composta & data in luce...All'Illustrissimo, et Eccll. Signor don Carloo D'Aragona, Duca di Terrranuoua, &c.

Venetia, Pietro Dusinelli, 1586.

Folio. Nice later (around 1950) half polished calf, raised bands, 4 compartments gilt. Titlepage with a beautifull renaissance caryatid border in woodcut and with the coat of arms of the Duke of Aragon. Title with 2 small stamps. (4),92 leaves + 2 unnumbered leaves (at sign. T) with illustrations. Having 6 full-page and 29 smaller woodcut-iullustr. and 2 unnumb. plates. Clean and fine, with the illustrations in strong impressions. The opening initial in the preface has been cut out, with a bit of loss of a few letters on verso.

The very rare first edition, the only edition in the original form, of Collado's famous work, being "the first really detailed, well-illustrated technical manual on both the theory and practice of artillery" (A.R. Hall in Ballistics in the 17th century).

"The greatest interest of this work as far as pyrotechnics are concerned is contained in Chapter 11 which is entitled, "Of...fires which can be adopted for use in times of festivity...The text of the 1586 edition describes these items (a line rocket, a vertical and horizontal wheel, and a device called Spanish 'Las Granadas'), but they are not illustrated. This book contains some of the earliest and fullest descriptions of recreative fireworks." (Chris Philip, C 070.4).

"Very rare, and one of the earliest works, if not the earliest, dealing exclusively with artillery. The numerous types of cannon figured are of great interest, while the work itself represents a fine specimen of typography." (Sotheran, Bibliotheca Chemico-Mathematica, vol. I, no 6987.

Cockle (No 664) calls it "Very rare; the only ed. of the original form of Collado's famous work, Ayala, nor having seen it, gives the trans. of the Spanish "Platica" as a reprint of it."(Cockle). The "Platica" is a Spanish translation from 1592.

Order-nr.: 38638