[CORMONTAIGNE (Louis de). Military architecture, or the art of fortification. [followed by] L'art de la guerre... La Haye, Jean Neaulme et Adrien Moetjens, 1741. 3 parts in 2 vol. in-4° bound in full blond calf, spines decorated and gilt, upper covers stamped with the gilt and crowned arms of Marie Joseph Savalette de Buchelay, double gilt fillet at the necks (Period binding). Vol.1: V, [1] p., 139 pp, [5] pp, Vol.2: [1] f., 148 pp, [8] ff. - 4] ff., 99 pp. Decorated with an engraved title finial and 40 folding plates showing sections, elevations and views of fortifications. An interesting treatise by the engineer Louis de Cormontaigne (1695-1752), who was responsible for the defence works of Metz, Thionville and Bitche, and improved the geometry of the Vauban fortress. In this book, he illustrates his point using the example of Vauban's existing works, such as the town of Neuf-Brisach. A copy bearing the arms of the Fermier Général Marie Joseph Savalette de Buchelay (1727-1764), who throughout his life enriched his collection of mineralogy in a large cabinet of curiosities accompanied by a vast library of enlightened amateurs. Good condition despite browned boards and some soiling. Bessinge library label Provenance: Library of Marie Joseph Savalette de Buchelay, Tronchin-Givaudan Library, then by descent to the present owners. Good condition despite minor binding defects and several browned plates Binding: Joints partially split on upper board of vol.1 Small loss at head of vol.2 Gilding of arms a little faded on vol. 1 Corners very slightly dulled Inside pages : Boards oxidised, several quite markedly with some spotting and occasional light foxing Some freckling and spotting of varying density depending on the quire and volume, particularly around the edges of the pages. Minor soiling on some pages. Minimal spotting in margin of pp.61 to 67 in vol.1 Minor tears without missing plates. Ff. of vol.1 a little curled on the whole vol. Tronchin- Givaudan Library Assembled and preserved by several generations of the Tronchin and Givaudan families, the Tronchin-Givaudan library bears witness to a deep attachment to knowledge, historical awareness and the exceptional. The selection we have the honour of offering at auction highlights a subtle balance between erudition and the art of living. Comprising mainly works from the eighteenth and twentieth centuries, this collection covers more than five centuries of printed production, closely linked to the history of Geneva and the Tronchin family, one of the city's great patrician lineages, now extinct. A number of seventeenth-century titles hark back to the origins of this lineage, notably around the figure of Théodore Tronchin (lot 2567). However, it was in the 18th century, with the acquisition of the Bessinge estate by Jacob Tronchin in 1764, that the collection really took shape. The works, many of which bear the bookplates of Jean Armand Tronchin (1732-1813) and his son Henri (1794-1865), make up a collection faithful to the ideals of the Enlightenment, combining public law, classical humanities, science, travel accounts (lots 2471, 2479, 2554..), major works of 18th-century printing - including the plan of Paris by Turgot (lot 2591) - and rare editions bearing the royal coat of arms, such as those of Madame de Pompadour (lot 2545). At the turn of the 20th century, a new page was turned when Xavier Givaudan (1867-1966), a leading figure in the industrial boom alongside his brother Léon Givaudan (1875-1936) in the fields of synthetic perfume, chemicals and soap, established in Switzerland in 1917, acquired the estate in 1938 after renting it for several years. The library and works have been preserved and in part passed on to his descendants. His brother Léon Givaudan built up a bibliophile collection focusing on Art Deco books, bringing together works sublimated by bindings signed by the great contemporary bookbinders (lots 2606, 2626, 2648, etc.). His library was sold at auction in Paris on 3 June 1988. André Givaudan (1895-1973), Xavier Givaudan's son, also had a particular interest in literature, joining several bibliophile societies and adding a number of modern illustrated books to the collection. All the lots marked in brown in the printed catalogue come from the Tronchin-Givaudan Collection, then by descent to the current owners.