Bombs and Explosives handbook

I found this handbook of bombs and explosives -17th Century- in the Bavarian State Library during my travels through open virtual libraries around the world. But my investigation about author (Hans G Schirvatt?) concluded with a poor-to-nothing result. The only reference I could find is that all weapons shown in this handbook were used during 17th century first quarter European wars, and were contemporaneous to Flandes war –also known as eighty years war or Netherlands independence war from Spain-.

Was during this war when the use of bombs with temporizers reached an incredible level of perfection, because some episodes –especially for city sieges like Breda- were based on “underground techniques”: an special task force of military engineers dig tunnels to approach enemy troops, put the bombs and grenades with combustion or mechanical based temporizers and escape using the same tunnel, with time enough –sometimes not- to avoid explosion. An authentic massive destruction weapon manual in 17th Century.

Some episodes of the eighty years war here.

The indecipherable and mysterious “Voynich Manuscript”

I’ve been obsessed with this manuscript since 2008, when I first found it in the open Beinecke rare book & manuscript library of Yale University. Around a year after, in 2009, University of Arizona made C14 test and revealed that this codex is not a joke, like some experts still assert, and was commissioned (with 95% confidence) between 1404 and 1438. 


Voynich manuscript is written in an unidentified language, apparently based on roman minuscule characters. The manuscript is a mistery although best cryptographers around the world have tried: after second world war best American and british codebreakers –who decoded german “enigma” used as communication protocol for nazi submarine weapon- and later a team of NSA cryptographers. No results so far, so the mistery remains. It’s richly illuminated and this allowed experts to consider following “sections” –like a general purpose encyclopedia-: Herbal, Astronomical, Biological, Cosmological, and Pharmaceutical or Medical. Regarding authorship, is a mystery like the codex itself:  some theories point to Franciscan Friar Roger Bacon (not after C14 tests), Alchemist Edward Kelley, etc. The name “Voynich manuscript” has its origin in Wilfrid Voynich, antiquarian, who acquired the codex in 1912.  


Direct link to Beinecke rare book & manuscript library of Yale University, is here (jpg collection with fair resolution, not complete). Wikipedia’s voynich manuscript article (very detailed) here. University of Arizona announcement of radiocarbon results is here.

Travel to Spain (19th Century): An illustrated chronicle of its people and places

Gustave Doré (1832 – 1883) was a French artist, illustrator and sculptor but mainly one of the best engravers ever. One of his most famous works was the collection of illustrations for French edition of Cervante’s “Don Quixote”. Also the work he made to illustrate the Bible is well known. But the majority of Doré biographies never mention one of his most fascinating faces: he was a tireless traveller.

Gustave Doré was strongly influenced by 19th century European romantic tendence and his work served as inspiration for other artists like Van Gogh or Moebius.

In 1862 he made an initiatory travel to Spain and illustrated what he saw with extreme accuracy, visiting cities like Madrid, Toledo, Burgos, Sevilla, Valencia, the Alhambra of Granada… during the following years, he was releasing all the engraves regarding this travel, with Spanish monuments, city views and their people. He represented crafts (waterboys, merchants, barbers, peasants) poor and rich men, bullfights… even thieves and knife fights he saw. His human geography of Spanish gents in 19th Century really impressed me first time I saw it.

Gustave Doré wikipedia bio link here. Text is brief, but has a nice gallery with a complete list of works & references. Project Gutenberg has complete downloadable collection via FTP (I was really surprised about this) here. Arno Schmidt Reference Library has a direct link here to download "Illustrationen zu Don Quijote". It's a 24Mb pdf file with around 120 illustrations, so quality is fair.

Some samples below of his travel to spain;

Birds Hunting

Bullfighting on streets

Matador killed in bullfighting

Teresa Bolsi, female matador

Women at work (Sevilla tobacco manufacturing facility)

Public execution in Barcelona (using "garrote vil")

Fishermen playing cards

Contrabandist with his wife

Knife fighting on streets

Funeral with "jota" dancer and singer

Grand Escorial Palace (Madrid)

Port of Malaga