de Spar - Instructions Militaires - 1753

THE SECRET MANUAL OF THE CAVALRY: THREE HUNDRED AND THIRTY YEARS OF MILITARY EXPERIENCE OF COUNT SPAR
Publicado in Paris in 1753, the Instructions militaires of Count Joseph Ignace Magnus de Spar represent a rare example of an eighteenth-century military treatise built entirely on direct experience. The work, the author's sole publication, collects observations developed over thirty-eight years of military practice and study. The volume unites theory and practice of cavalry, training discipline, and technical knowledge of the horse, offering a precious snapshot of the military culture of Enlightenment Europe. The numerous folded plates reinforce the instructional character of the text, illustrating techniques and dispositions that reflect the centrality of riding and cavalry in the eighteenth‑century military organization.
MARKET VALUE
The original 1753 edition sporadically appears on the antiquarian market, especially in complete copies with the plates and in contemporaneous binding. Well-preserved copies generally command a value between about 800 and 1,000 euros. Particularly fresh copies or those with documented military historical provenance can reach higher values.

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION AND CONDITION - COLLECTOR'S COPY
Contemporary full vellum binding, marbleized, polished; back with richly gold-decorated raised bands; lemon-colored title label; red edges. Illustrated with 17 folded engraved plates out of the text. Papers with some foxing and browning. In old books with a centuries-long history, a few imperfections may be present, not always noted in the description. Pp. (4); 14; 2nn; 174; 2nn; (2).

FULL TITLE AND AUTHOR
Instructions militaires.
Paris, Briasson, 1753.
Joseph Ignace Magnus de Spar.

CONTEXT AND SIGNIFICANCE
In the eighteenth century, the military training of European officers rested on a complex balance between chivalric tradition and the increasing rationalization of military discipline. The Instructions militaires of the Count de Spar situate precisely in this context. The work is not merely a technical manual, but a synthesis of military experience applied to the management of cavalry and to soldier discipline. The treatise reflects a transitional moment in European military history: as armies become increasingly organized and regulated, the personal experience of officers continues to represent a primary source of knowledge. The folded plates contribute to the practical dimension of the work, showing exercises, dispositions, and training principles. The book also testifies to the central role of cavalry in the art of war in the eighteenth century, before the radical transformations brought about by the Revolutionary and Napoleonic wars.

BIOGRAPHY OF THE AUTHOR
Joseph Ignace Magnus de Spar was an eighteenth-century aristocrat and military officer. Coming from a noble milieu tied to the European military tradition, he accumulated extensive experience in the army, which led him to reflect on the principles of training and military organization. The Instructions militaires represent the authors’ only known work and constitute a synthesis of the knowledge gained during thirty-eight years of activity and study in the field of cavalry and military discipline.

PRINTING HISTORY AND CIRCULATION
The work was first published in Paris in 1753 by the Briasson publisher. There are not many reprints, a circumstance contributing to the relative rarity of the volume on the antiquarian market. The presence of numerous folded plates indicates a carefully produced edition intended mainly for an audience of officers, military men, and gentlemen interested in the art of cavalry and military organization.

BIBLIOGRAPHY AND REFERENCES
Barbier, Dictionnaire des ouvrages anonymes, V, col. 948.
Conlon, Le siècle des Lumières: bibliographie chronologique, 53, no. 1058.
Catalogue BnF (Bibliothèque nationale de France), bibliographic card for Instructions militaires, Paris, Briasson, 1753.
WorldCat, bibliographic records of the 1753 edition.
ICCU / OPAC SBN, catalog of the National Library Service, records relating to eighteenth-century editions of the work.

provenance
Jean-Népomucène-Louis de Reitterwald (1725–1800), officer of the Alsatian infantry regiment in the service of the King of France during the War of the Austrian Succession and the Seven Years' War, and first elected mayor of Bouquenom in 1790. Note on the front: “Reitterwald, capitaine d’Alsace.”
References: R. Ratineau; J.-L. Wilbert, “M. de Reitterwald, officier au Régiment d’Alsace et premier maire élu de Bouquenom en 1790”, Cahier de la Société d’histoire et d’archéologie de Saverne et environs, 150 (1990), pp. 27–40; 154 (1991), pp. 9–20.
Modern library label from the shop “Le Tour du monde.”