Task 4: Connections
François Blondel – Nouvelle manière de fortifier les places (1686)
The first book in which I could directly find several similarities was by Francois Blondel; Nouvelle manière de fortifier les places.
It was published only one year before L’experience de l’architecture militaire, written in French and deals with the subject of military architecture. It is also much smaller than expected, so like a paperback, and includes many illustrations. Both describe how military architecture or fortifications should be built and serve as a guide. What distinguishes the two authors is their background. Francois Bondel had a military role as a royal army general, while Des Martins was an engineer. However, both worked for the king.
Andreas Cellarius – Architectura militaris (1645)
The second book with parallels to ours is Architectura militaris.
This also deals with the subject of military architecture. However, it was written 40 years before L’experience de l’architecture militaire and in German. It is also rather large and thick. But it also has many technical high quality drawings at the end of the book. However, the book does not serve as a manual but more for documentation and illustration. The author Andreas Cellarius, in contrast to Des Martins, does not seem to be in direct contact with the military. Nevertheless, both books provide an instructive foundation on military architecture.
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