Lipsio / Eugippio - Poliorceticon [Bound w:] Historia ab Eugippio - 1595-1596

The War Machines and Monastic Miracles: The Double Soul of the Renaissance
An example of extraordinary charm and uniqueness, combining in a single volume two emblematic works of mature Renaissance: on one side, the Poliorceticón by Justus Lipsius, a military and humanist treatise printed by the Officina Plantiniana of Antwerp in 1596; on the other, the Historia by Eugippius, with the Life of Saint Severinus, published in Augusta Vindelicorum in 1595. Together, these texts form a fascinating contrast: the technical rationality of war machines and the late antique monastic spirituality, both set within a prestigious editorial framework, with illustrations and frontispieces that testify to the typographic peak of Northern Europe. This sammelband is not just a collection of texts but a true cultural document of 16th-century Europe, where strength and faith coexisted within the same literary horizon.
Market value
The union of two such different texts, printed in leading typographies (Plantin-Moretus in Antwerp, one of Europe's most renowned workshops, and a prominent printer in Augsburg), makes this sammelband of extremely high bibliographic rarity. On the antiquarian market, the Poliorceticón alone reaches values between 3,000 and 6,000 euros, with higher peaks for well-preserved illustrated copies; Eugippio's Historia is rare and valued between 1,500 and 3,000 euros. Together, in a genuine contemporary volume, they can exceed 7,000-9,000 euros, with potential increases if accompanied by old provenance or in perfect condition.

Physical description and condition
Contemporary full parchment binding with handwritten title on the spine. Printer's mark on the title page featuring the famous Plantin compass and the motto Labore et Constantia. Illustrated with numerous copper engravings in full and half-page depicting siege engines, tools, and fortification plans. Slight browning and signs of aging. Pages 16nn; 268; 8nn; 10nn; 52; 28nn; (2).

Full title and author
Poliorceticon or on machines, tormentors, missiles, five books.
Antwerp, at the Plantin Press, by the Widow and Ioannes Moretus, 1596.
Justus Lipsius
Bound w:
The story about Eugippius was written approximately 900 years ago.
Augsburg, 1595.
Eugippius

Context and Significance
Lipsius's Poliorceticón is an encyclopedic work on siege warfare, featuring an iconographic apparatus that makes it one of the most important technical treatises of the modern age: mobile towers, catapults, battering rams, and fortification systems are illustrated with precision and accompanied by references to classical authors. It is a work that combines philology, erudition, and military science.
Eugippio's 'L’Historia' instead offers the memory of San Severino, a missionary and founder of monastic communities in the region of Roman Noricum, a bridge between the imperial era and the Christian High Middle Ages. It is a fundamental source for understanding the transition between antiquity and the Middle Ages, as well as a document of spirituality and hagiography.
The coexistence of the two works in a single bound volume at the end of the 16th century reflects the cultural pluralism of the era: military reason and religious faith coexist within the same book, demonstrating that Counter-Reformation Europe saw technique and religion as two complementary pillars.

Biography of the Authors
Justus Lipsius (1547-1606) was a professor at Leuven, Cologne, and Leiden, renowned for his editions of Tacitus and Seneca and for promoting neostoicism, a doctrine that sought to reconcile Stoic morality with Christianity. He authored texts spanning philosophy, politics, philology, and military strategy.
Eugippius (c. 460-535), monk and disciple of Saint Severinus of Noricum, is remembered for having composed the Vita Sancti Severini, a text that preserves the memory of a saint bridging the end of the Roman world and the beginning of monastic civilization. His work holds great historical and religious value, as well as being one of the main sources for late antique Noricum.

Printing history and circulation
Il Poliorceticón was printed in Antwerp in 1596 by the Officina Plantiniana, one of the most prestigious and renowned printing houses of the Renaissance, famous for the quality of scientific and humanist texts.
The History of Eugippio was published in Augusta in 1595, a major publishing center for the German area, during a period of flourishing religious and humanistic editions.
The presence of both works in the same volume is a typical example of a sammelband from the late Cinquecento, when collectors and libraries would bind together heterogeneous texts. Copies like this are extremely rare and represent a valuable testimony of the history of the book.

BIBLIOGRAPHY AND REFERENCES
Cockle, M. H., A Bibliography of Military Books up to 1642, London, 1900.
Adams, H. C., Catalogue of Books Printed on the Continent of Europe 1501-1600 in Cambridge Libraries, Cambridge, 1967.
Graesse, J. G. T., Treasure of Rare and Precious Books, Dresden, 1859.
Brunet, J.-C., Manual of the bookseller and book lover, Paris, 1860.
Mortimer, R., Harvard College Library: Catalogue of Books and Manuscripts, Cambridge, 1964.
Potthoff, H., The Life of Saint Severinus by Eugippius, Vienna, 1986.
Chadwick, H., East and West: The Making of a Rift in the Church, Oxford, 2003 (for the late-antique context of Eugippio).