JF Ptak Science Books Quick Post Part of a series on The History of Dots 
Colbert de Lostelneau's (French Marshall and Commander of the French Royal Guards) Le
mareschal de bataille...1and printed by Estienne Mignon
in Paris inthe year 1647, is one of the earliest books to be printed in
colros. This rare book, which was a superior cummulative work on
tactics and strategy and military thought (and which in parts leaned
very heavily on earlier and sometimes unattributed books), employed the
new venue of color printing to highlight its musketeers/pikemen/cavalry
symbols in three shapes and in three colors for easier understanding of
the movement of three different aspects of an army. It is said that in
this way the military theory was made more adaptable and practicable.
In the history of dots, though, these color-printed varieties are significant as being among the first of their kind.
And the full image (both of which are located at Gallica--website for the Bibliotheque Nationale de France, here):
Notes:
1. the rest of the title: ...contenant le maniment des armes, les évolutions, plusieurs bataillons, tant contre l'infanterie que contre la cavalerie, divers ordres de batailles, avec un bref discours sur les considérations que doit avoir un souverain, avant que de commencer la guerre, et un abrégé des functions de généraux d'armées, de mareschaux de camp et autres principales charges d'icelles... inventé et recueilly par le sieur de Lostelneau,... folio, 459pp.
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