Explore the fascinating history on the purpose, design, and progress of fortifications and siegecraft across Europe, from the height of military engineering to the introduction of rifled artillery. Christopher Duffy's brilliant history of fortifications and siegecraft is the best general work available on the subject. It covers the classic age of military engineering, which was heralded by the work of Vauban, chief engineer to the French King Louis XIV. There was astonishingly little change in the way fortresses were ...
Read More
Explore the fascinating history on the purpose, design, and progress of fortifications and siegecraft across Europe, from the height of military engineering to the introduction of rifled artillery. Christopher Duffy's brilliant history of fortifications and siegecraft is the best general work available on the subject. It covers the classic age of military engineering, which was heralded by the work of Vauban, chief engineer to the French King Louis XIV. There was astonishingly little change in the way fortresses were perceived and used for the next 200 years until the advent of rifled artillery brought dramatic new ideas into play. Duffy examines the purpose of fortresses across Europe and the debates of the time concerning their offensive and defensive uses. He analyses the strategic and structural considerations that dictated their locations and describes how they were planned, designed and built and by whom. He then explains how a siege progressed from start to finish: plans and preparations, the investment of the fortress, the ways in which a fortress could be reduced short of a formal siege, and the siege itself at every stage, from the choice of the frontal attack to the storm of the breaches and capitulation. The differences in siting, design and techniques of attack and defense for coastal fortifications are also covered. Using excerpts from the accounts of people who took part in actual sieges or were themselves besieged, Duffy brings out the human side of siege warfare as well as its purely technical aspects. In order to give the overall picture, he traces four great sieges in their entirety: Namur in 1692 and again in 1695, with Vauban and his Dutch counterpart Coehoorn pitting their wits against one another; the French attack on Antwerp in 1832, which showed how little siegecraft had changed since Namur; and the Anglo-Dutch naval bombardment of Algiers in 1816. Duffy's clear perspective and skillful handling of details make Fire and Stone an enthralling book to read and an invaluable source of information.
Read Less
Add this copy of Fire and Stone Format: Hardback to cart. $32.09, new condition, Sold by indoo rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Avenel, NJ, UNITED STATES, published 2023 by Helion & Company.
Add this copy of Fire and Stone: The Science of Fortress Warfare 1660 to cart. $39.07, new condition, Sold by GreatBookPrices rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Columbia, MD, UNITED STATES, published 2023 by Helion & Company.
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
New. Sewn binding. Cloth over boards. 166 p. In Stock. 100% Money Back Guarantee. Brand New, Perfect Condition, allow 4-14 business days for standard shipping. To Alaska, Hawaii, U.S. protectorate, P.O. box, and APO/FPO addresses allow 4-28 business days for Standard shipping. No expedited shipping. All orders placed with expedited shipping will be cancelled. Over 3, 000, 000 happy customers.
Add this copy of Fire and Stone: The Science of Fortress Warfare 1660 to cart. $39.08, new condition, Sold by booksXpress, ships from Bayonne, NJ, UNITED STATES, published 2023 by Helion & Company.
Add this copy of Fire and Stone: The Science of Fortress Warfare 1660 to cart. $58.91, like new condition, Sold by GreatBookPrices rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Columbia, MD, UNITED STATES, published 2023 by Helion & Company.
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
Fine. Sewn binding. Cloth over boards. 166 p. In Stock. 100% Money Back Guarantee. Brand New, Perfect Condition, allow 4-14 business days for standard shipping. To Alaska, Hawaii, U.S. protectorate, P.O. box, and APO/FPO addresses allow 4-28 business days for Standard shipping. No expedited shipping. All orders placed with expedited shipping will be cancelled. Over 3, 000, 000 happy customers.
Add this copy of Fire and Stone: the Science of Fortress Warfare 1660 to cart. $58.92, good condition, Sold by Bonita rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Hialeah, FL, UNITED STATES, published 2023 by Helion and Company.
Siege warfare is a very important element in understanding warfare during the period covered by this book. However, it's a very technical subject with a lot or archaic jargon. This book presents the subject in an simple and understandable way while still giving a good understanding. I live in San Juan which still has some of the best preserved 16th and 17th century fortifications for observation.
