Les rêveries ou Mémoires sur l'art de la guerre

Second edition, a reprint of the first folio edition published in 1756 by the same publisher. A rare edition, illustrated with 40 plates including 4 folding and 16 double-page (arms, costumes, plans, manoeuvres...). Large vignette with coat of arms on the title-page, and 41 ornaments (headpieces, tailpieces). Title-page printed in red and black. At the end, Supplement aux Reveries, with its own title-page; this short addition, spanning only a few pages, contains the corrections made to the original. A two-volume quarto edition appeared in Paris in 1757.
Bound in later full marbled brown calf; a skilful early 20th-century pastiche signed Saingy at foot. Spine with raised bands richly decorated, gilt rolls at head and tail. Red morocco lettering-piece, black morocco date-piece gilt. Rubbing to head- and tailcaps, edges, corners, and lower board. Plate XXXIV has been refolded, having been badly folded. An exceptionally fresh copy, the paper only slightly toned. One leaf misbound among the preliminary pages. A handsome copy.

A unique work in its field, animated throughout by the spirit of its author, one of the greatest generals of the eighteenth century. The Comte de Saxe reviews all the factors and elements required for the successful conduct of battle, from uniforms and provisions to strategy, in a style that is simple, clear, and intelligible. This is followed by a chapter on the propagation of the human race, intended to counterbalance the art of destroying populations; here the author offers his reflections on demographic growth and the means of fostering it. The term "rêveries" refers not in the modern sense of idle fancies, but in that of fulfilled hopes and secret thoughts.