[Cambridge] : Printed by the printers to the Universitie of Cambridge, 1632. First Edition
Folio, A-O4, P2, C1 mis-signed “B”, engraved title, 16 plates, some folding, plate 3 bound in two double-page sections, 17th century full calf, fully gilt spine, 2-line fillet borders, part of an early vellum manuscript as a sewing guard, crowned “SX” in gilt on front board, edges stained red, very small paper flaw in plate 11 not affecting legibility, expertly and unobtrusively re-backed some considerable time ago with the old back laid on, short crack to top of front hinge, armorial ex-libris of the Earl of Essex on verso of engraved title, book-plate of “Mark Dinely” on front paste down and of “Dr. & Mrs. H.R. Knohl” on front fly.
John Cruso was a Fellow of Caius College, Cambridge from 1639 to 1644 when he was dismissed by the Parliamentarians. He subsequently became Chancellor of the Diocese of St. David’s.
In his preface, To the Reader, Cruso points out “Of making many books there is no end, said the wise King... but is it not strange that hardly any hath fully handled that which concerneth the Cavallrie?” He attributes this to the fact that most earlier writers such as Vegetius, Valturius, Aelian et al., had taken classical Greek and Roman authors as their model, where, because of a lack of saddle, stirrups and sometimes bridles, the mounted soldier was ineffective. However, since the development of the pistol, the cavalry was now properly armed and can be an important part of any army. This is the first book to instruct the mounted soldier on the use of firearms, thereby materially advancing the use of the cavalry in military tactics.
It is a rare book. ESTC lists 17 copies of which four are lacking some, or all, of the plates and of the five copies that have appeared at auction since 1979, only one is described as complete with all 16 plates. There is, indeed, some confusion over the plate count, Ferguson calls for 17 plates, presumably he counted the two halves of plate 3 as two plates. Cockle on the other hand calls for 8 plates. The current copy is not only fine and complete but also has a distiguished provenance; from an early owner, the Earl of Essex, to Mark Dinely, an important 20c. collector of militaria.
ESTC S121933 STC 6099 Cockle 124