Beschreibung:

Alghisi, Galasso. Delle fortificationi di M. Galasso Alghisi da Carpi architetto dell'eccellentiss. signor duca di Ferrara. Libri tre, all'invittissimo imperatore Massimiliano secondo Cesare Augusto. [Venice: Grazioso Percacino], 1570 [bound with:]
Vignola, Jacopo Barozzi da. Regola delli cinque ordini d'architettura di M. Iacomo Barozzio da Vignola. Venice: Francesco Ziletti, 1582 [bound with:]
Besson, Jacques. Theatrum instrumentorum et machinarum Iacobi Bessoni Delphinatis, mathematici ingeniossimi. Cum Franc. Beroaldi figurarum declaratione demonstrativa. Lyon [Geneva: Jean de Laon for] Barthélemy Vincent, 1578
A handsome contemporary binding made for the Prince-Bishop of Würzburg, with unusual foredge decoration with the title, owner and date gauffered across the blue page edges, made by Jakob Preisger, active as a binder in Würzburg from 1576 to 1594. The Prince-Bishop owned a substantial library which was seized in 1631 (along with many other libraries) by the Swedes during the Thirty Years' War and is now mostly in Uppsala University Library, although several volumes soon arrived in England and around thirty were purchased by Dr Richard Holdsworth of Cambridge (1590-1649); according to Arnim more than 1,000 volumes are still in Uppsala and around 160 are in Cambridge. The appearance of the library, with hundreds of books displaying their gauffered lettering on foredges of differing colours, must have been magnificent. For a very similar binding, see M. von Arnim, Europäische Einbandkunst (1992), p.62.
First edition of Alghisi's monumental and finely printed work on military architecture, for which he produced plans for fortresses with up to twenty-one bastions.
This is an uncommon edition of Vignola, using series B of the engraved plates (see BAL RIBA 3447, p.2221, for a description of the different series). Fowler describes the prefatory letter as being on one leaf, but in this copy it is printed on two leaves on the recto only, numbered as folios II and III.
This is the third edition of Besson's impressive collection of engineering devices and machines for various purposes, from musical instruments and construction work to reading desks and shipbuilding and even a fire engine.
3 works in one volume, folio (398 x 270 mm). Alghisi: Italic type, 44 lines plus headline. collation: *4 a-d6 e4 A-C6 D-G8.6 H-I4 K10 l-RR2.4 SS-ZZ6 AAA6 BBB8: 236 leaves (*4 and BBB8 blank). Engraved title-page, woodcut initials, engraved illustrations, some double-page. (Slight staining to foredge of first few leaves, a manuscript word rubbed from foot of title-page, a few engravings slightly trimmed at foot.) Vignola: Engraved title-page incorporating a portrait of Vignola, 2-leaf preface in roman type with woodcut head- and tailpiece and initial, 29 engraved plates numbered IIII-XXXII; Besson: Roman type, 49 lines plus headline. collation: A-C4: 12 leaves (last leaf blank). Title within woodcut border, woodcut initials, head- and tailpieces, 59 (of 60) engraved plates. (Lacking plate 27, lower section of plate 26 torn away, a few light stains).
binding: Contemporary stamped pigskin over wooden boards (425 x 300 mm), by Jakob Preisger [EBDB w00259], central panel stamped in oxidised silver with arms of Julius Echter von Mespelbrunn partly coloured with green and red enamel paint, lower cover with panel stamp of St Kilian, traces of blue edges with gauffered lettering across foredge, with the title for Alghisi at head of foredge, Echter's name in centre, and the date 1586 at foot, two clasps. (Binding slightly rubbed, lower cover slightly soiled.)
provenance: Julius Echter von Mespelbrunn (1545-1617), Prince-Bishop of Würzburg and Duke of East Franconia, arms and name on binding — [Seized by the Swedish army in 1631 and taken to Uppsala] — Swann Galleries, New York, sale, 9 October 1995, lot 3. acquisition: Purchased at the preceding sale. references: Alghisi: Edit16 1140; Mortimer, Harvard Italian 15; D. Rhodes, Silent printers p.9; Vignola: this edition not in Edit 16, 40636 is the 1583 Ziletti printing; Fowler 352; Besson: GLN-2707; Mortimer, Harvard French 58