This interesting book is a series of engravings of various machines devised by the engineer Agostino Ramelli (1531-c. 1610). Born in southern Switzerland, Ramelli served in the French army during the Wars of Religion (1562-98) and proved himself a competent engineer during the 1572 siege of La Rochelle which brought him to the attention of the future King Henri III (r. 1574-89).

In 1588, Ramelli published this book, written in Latin, French and Italian which provides detailed images of both civic and military machines. More than half of the volume consists of engravings of pumping machines and water mills, while another large section is devoted to ingenious siege engines. Ramelli also included a design for a book wheel, a device which allows a person to read multiple books at once, and a design allowing servants to water plants without being seen by the household.

It is unknown how many of these proposals were actually used; some are recognisable today, particularly the use of pistons to raise water from one level to another, but others appear too complex and seem to indicate that Ramelli produced this work to demonstrate his knowledge of mechanics rather than to serve as a guide to the practical uses of technology.