Mes rêveries, ouvrage posthume

The finest edition of this work, the original having appeared in 1756. It comprises 84 plates, 61 of which are folding, compared to only 40 in the original, engraved in intaglio by Moitte, Patte and Tardieu, depicting military costumes, plans and profiles, and troop formations. Published by Abbé Perau, this edition is augmented with a biography (134pp.) and several pieces (letters...), it is better organized and superbly printed in large type.
Contemporary full marbled and glazed calf binding. Decorated raised spine, head and tail rolls. Red morocco title label and volume label. Double gilt fillet frame on boards. One tear at tail. One lower corner cut on volume 1. Small lack at head of volume II. One corner bumped on volume II. One scratch on upper board of volume II. One plate protruding in volume I and 2 in volume II, caused by improper folding. Despite some minor defects, a very handsome copy.

A unique work in its field, the book shines with the author's animating spirit. The Count of Saxe reviews all the factors, all the elements necessary for successful conduct of battles, from uniforms to food, to strategy, to spies, in a simple, clear and intelligible style. This is followed by the chapter on the propagation of the human species, intended to counterbalance the art of destroying populations; the author shares his thoughts on demographic proliferation and the means of increasing it. The term "rêveries" refers not to the modern sense of ramblings but to that of realized hopes and secret thoughts.
Marshal de Saxe was one of the most illustrious military men of his century; he develops in his work the quasi-utopian vision of a military art, proposing new solutions, both tactical and practical (a new uniform for running more quickly).