A wondrous book, written in Latin, and having many illustrations. It is in very good condition for a book that is 340 years old. Wouldst I had the wherewithall to buy it... such is the fate of a pauper with the tastes of a prince. Check out link:
http://cgi.ebay.com/Very-Rare-Siege-Warfare-Military-Weapons-Navy-1670-/170533591347?pt=Antiquarian_Collectible&hash=item27b4981933 (http://cgi.ebay.com/Very-Rare-Siege-Warfare-Military-Weapons-Navy-1670-/170533591347?pt=Antiquarian_Collectible&hash=item27b4981933)
I can't help but wonder if it looks a little too good. It would be a cool book to own, but I would want to see a 3rd party certification before I would be willing to shell out serious money for it.
I sent a note to the Ebay seller (Historyphan) to request info on the provenance of the book and if it has been authenticated. The statistics for this seller are impressive: a member since July 2004; 6,493 items sold; and a positive feedback rating of 99.7%. I think that speaks well for the seller's integrity. I will post his answer when I get it.
Apparently a successful siege of the day involved having a naked women and giant feathers aboard ship! :)
*see the first pic, second row of page illustrations.*
Very cool find. I'd love to have a look at it even though I don't read Latin.
I received the following response from Ebay seller Historyphan...
QuoteAuthenticity was verified several years ago. From the estate of a history professor as well. Remarkable condition. Guaranteed "authentic" or full refund.I do not ever sell reprints. Been selling antiquarian books for nearly 20 years.
Said Anna Iram-
QuoteI'd love to have a look at it even though I don't read Latin
I had a large collection of kite books which I recently donated to a museum. Many of the books were in foreign languages such as French, German, Hungarian, Spanish, Italian, Portugese, Japanese, Chinese, Finnish, Swedish, and even Hebrew. No, I can't read any of these languages... but I can read photos, drawings, charts, and numbers. An illustrated book in any language is a good book.