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Description

Finely engraved portrait of Mallet, a French Engineer who served in the Army of the King of Portugal and published a magnificent 5 volume Description de L'Univers in Paris. 

Primarily a military engineer, Allain Manesson Mallet studied mathematics and geometry at the College of Bourgogne.  Mallet became a musketeer in the regiment of guards of Louis XIV. During 1666 and 1667, as an army engineer under Marshal Schomberg, Mallet became sargento-mor, (Commander of artillery and inspector of fortifications), for Alfonso VI of Portugal, during the last stages of the restoration war. 

Mallet next served as master of mathematics at the school of the pages of the King in Versailles. In 1671, he published a book on military science and the art of siege warfare, which was republished several times.

Mallet’s most noted work was his small five volume “Description de l’Univers”, first published in Paris in 1683. This was considered to be the first ‘modern’ book of geography, in which Mallet updated information from previous travel and geography books, and included decorative engravings of important early monuments, towns, peoples of the world, maps, globes, astronomy and astrology.  
Mallet’s third and final publication was “La geometrie pratique” (Practice of Geometry), based on the teachings of Philippe Mallet.