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AELIANUS TACTICUS.: THE TACTICS OF AELIAN, COMPRISING THE MILITARY SYSTEM OF THE GRECIANS; illustrated with notes, explanatory plates, &c. With a preliminary discourse by Henry Augustus Viscount Dillon.
London, 1814. First edition of this translation, printed by Cox and Baylis for E. Kerby, 1814. 4to, 270 x 215 mm, 10½ x 8½ inches, 38 of 39 engraved plates, 13 folding, PLATE 32 LACKING, pages (6), lvi, (4), 268 including index, contemporary binding in full morocco, ornate gilt border to covers, raised bands and gilt decoration to spine, gilt lettering, all edges gilt, gilt inner dentelles (turn ins). Rubbing to head and tail of spine, hinges and corners, 1 corner just showing cardboard at tip, covers slightly marked, armorial bookplate on front pastedown, neat inscription dated 1899 on 2nd blank endpaper, small pale brown stain to lower inner edge of 21 leaves of prelims, 3 very short closed edge tears, lower blank corner of 1 plate neatly repaired, some slight offsetting from plates to adjacent pages and also on folding plates themselves, some plates lightly browned at edges. Binding tight and firm. A very good copy of a work which is scarce in any English edition (lacking 1 plate as noted). Aelianus Tacticus was a Greek military writer of the 2nd century, resident at Rome. His military treatise in fifty-three chapters on the tactics of the Greeks is dedicated to Hadrian, though this is probably a mistake for Trajan, and the date 106 has been assigned to it. It is a handbook of Greek, i.e. Macedonian, drill and tactics as practiced by the Hellenistic successors of Alexander the Great. The author claims to have consulted all the best authorities, the chief of which was a lost treatise on the subject by Polybius. Perhaps the chief value of Aelian's work lies in his critical account of preceding works on the art of war, and in the fullness of his technical details in matters of drill. Aelian exercised a great influence on his immediate successors the Byzantines and later on the Arabs. It was first translated into Latin and published in 1487. In spite of its academic nature, the copious details to be found in the treatise rendered it of the highest value to the army organizers of the 16th century, and it was minutely studied together with the works of Xenophon, Polybius, Aeneas Tacticus and Arrian by every soldier of the the 16th and 17th century who wished to be a master of his profession. This is a new translation into English with copious notes intended as a text book for military schools and colleges and the plates which were in Bingham's English edition of 1616 were newly engraved 'with more attention to the antique costume'. Besides the Tactics of Aelian, the volume also contains Extract from the general history of Polybius and The principal historians ancient and modern, considered in a military point of view. Images sent on request.
Offered for GBP 495.00 = appr. US$ 735.08 by: Roger Middleton - Book number: 4987