Maggs Bros.

A handsome copy of Simes’s scarce illustrated military manual. Published in the heart of the Revolutionary War, Simes’s publication clearly filled a need in the British Army at the time, as demonstrated by the lengthy Subscribers List. This copy is further distinguished in having been owned by General George Lane Parker, second son of George Parker, 2nd Earl of Macclesfield. During the Revolutionary War he was a Colonel in the 20th Foot.

This was the third of Simes’s five military manuals which not only provided a detail overview of the duties of a young officer, but also collected together the necessary regulations and forms A great deal of the book’s success can be attributed to its timely publication, coinciding with the American Revolution. Simes notes in his second dedication, “To the officers of the Army, From the rebellious conduct of the Americans it appears to me there is a great necessity of publishing something of this kind, for the instruction of the young and unexperienced officer…”

The extensive subscribers list spans fourteen pages in this edition.