Figuring Horror and Harm : Rudolf von Deventer's Handbook of Gunpowder and Fireworks (1585)

This book offers a transcription and translation into modern English of a unique and spectacularly illustrated sixteenth-century manuscript on war and festival culture during the reign of the Danish King Frederik II (r. 1559-1588). The manuscript, written in German by the King’s specialist in artillery, Rudolf von Deventer, served as a manual for defense against the arch enemies of the Christian regime.

The transcription and translation of the manuscript constitute an exceptional source for knowledge on and further research into North European war, artillery, technology, fireworks, and festival culture in the early modern period.

The manuscript includes lavishly colored illustrations of machineries, firework dragons and battle scenes.