First edition of a richly illustrated treatise on artillery and explosives, by the experienced Neapolitan artillery commander Martena. In the first and longest of four parts, Martena expertly describes the ins and outs of mortars and explosive shells. The second and shortest part describes the preparation of gunpowder for various uses. The third part treats the armaments of ships and floating vessels and the fourth part describes mining and countermining.
Giovan Battista Martena (1609-post 1676) served in the Spanish army during the Thirty Years War in Italy (1618-1648). As artillery commander in Naples, he presided over the sieges of Piombino and Portolongone in 1650. Afterwards he does not seem to have participated in any more military campaigns and probably devoted himself to writing the Flagello militare, which was first published in 1676 and reprinted twice before the end of the century.
Binding with a 2 cm hole in the vellum of the back board and shelfmarks on the front board and spine. With the remains of a library label on the paste-down. A few wormholes and a water stain at the head of the preliminaries, but otherwise in good condition. Ayala, Bibl. militare Italiana,, p. 147; Clavarino, "Le artiglierie dalle origini ai nostri giorni", in: Giornale di artiglieria e genio (December 1883), pp. 1235-1240; Riccardi I, p. 122.