According to the title, the book is about some kind of fortifications and is supposed to be a textbook. So it should teach the reader something about fortifications and is thus a kind of guide to build a fortress optimally. So it’s about military architecture. In the book “Compendio della Fortificatione” he describes the advantages and disadvantages of different fortifications and should therefore help in the construction of a fortress. In a post by Delbeke, I read that Alberghetti wrote this book to present it to Venice, that was at war and needed the latest and best options in building a fortress.
There are several illustrations such as pictures and tables which look like they are certain types of such fortifications or that they are supposed to describe them. These are supposed to be possibilities of different types of fortresses in different places. In this way, the reader can get an insight into which type of fortress is suitable for which location.
About the author, Alberghetti comes from a family of military engineers and served the Venetian state as an artillery expert. He has therefore had a lot to do with war and fortifications and is therefore well versed in this subject area.
The book is made out of very thin paper with a rough surface which in my opinion does not indicate anything about its content. I think it’s rather the way people used to write books or just the type of paper that people used back in the days.
-Marvin Elias Keller