1798 – English Long Bow Manual | Rare First Edition – Pike & Archery Exercises

Pro aris et focis by Richard Mason is a late 18th-century treatise on the use and need for reviving the English long bow. Alongside the pike, the English long bow is often considered one of the most effective and deadly forms of assault in a pre-gunpowder era of war. Mason argues that the arrow volleys and sustained showers of arrows eliminated even the most disciplined enemy troops. This 1798 first edition contains three engraved plates, including two folding plates that depict English longbowmen with pike and sabre.   Bibliographic Details Title: “Pro aris et focis” : considerations of the reasons that exist for reviving the use of the long bow with the pike Author(s): Richard Oswald Mason Publisher: London, Printed for T. Egerton Edition: First edition, 1798 Binding: Modern spine over boards Format: (8vo), single volume Size:  8.75 in x 5.75 in (22 cm x 14.5 cm) Collation: 59 pp Illustrations: 3 engraved plates including frontispiece and 2 folding engravings Contents Include: Revival of the English long bow Disciplined arrow volleys Exercises for bow and pike Marching positions and formations   Condition: Very Good. Modern hardcover binding tight and secure with clear spine title. Untrimmed page edges. Text clean with no major stains or spotting. Engravings intact, including both folding plates, free of tears or rips.   Why Collect This? First edition Georgian military treatise Interest for collectors of archery and British militia history   Item Number: #50118 Categories Military & War European History Authors Richard Oswald Mason Printing Date 18th Century Language English Binding Hardcover Book Condition Very Good Collation Complete