A bibliography of English military books up to 1642 and of ...

But, although we have no general bibliography of English military
books, we have several catalogues of works in all languages, on
special branches, in which they figure ; notably. Colonel Lefroy's
list of works on Artillery,^ Wirt Gerrare's " Bibliography of Guns
and Shooting ",^ Capt. F. H. Huth's " Works on Horses and Equitation
",^ and Major Elliot's "Cavalry Literature.'"* Lefroy's list
has few English books. Elliot's, however, has a section entirely
devoted to them, with occasional notes of value to the military
student, for whom the catalogue is intended. But the spelling
of title-pages, which are rarely given in full, is not closely followed,
nor is there any indication as to size or form ; while many of
the nine hundred works in English and French mentioned are taken
from Huth,
In this catalogue I have included only the more important of
the historical pieces, such as Hugo's " Siege of Breda", Grimston's
" General History of the Netherlands ", and Williams's " Wars of
the Low Countries", which, though not technical, were too important
to be omitted. The Wars of the Netherlands, the Civil
Wars in France, and the Thirty Years' War, gave rise to a quantity
of literature both in this solid form and in the more ephemeral
form of pamphlets. The latter, which help to illustrate the
technical writings, are, in many cases, letters written from the seat
of war, sometimes dashed off between one engagement and another,
*
Proc. Roy. Art. Inst., vol. ii., pp. 4-12.
' Westminster, 1895, 8".
'
London, 1887, 4°.
Calcutta, 1893, 8°. Mr. B. H. Soulsby has in progress a " Catalogue of English
Military Books published by the British Government." Vol. I. appeared London, 1894,
8°. The aim and objeft of catalogues of recent military books have been so fully
stated by Major-General Maurice [" War ... to which is added an Essay on Military
Literature, and a list of books", etc. Macmillan & Co., London, 1891, 8°], and by
Colonel von Gyzicki [« Ueber Kriegsgeschichte Studien ", Berlin, 1881, 8"], that it
unnecessary to add anything upon that head.
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