Inside the book

Blondel’s manual unfolds as a complete system of pyrotechnic instruction, uniting chemistry, mechanics, and festive design into a coherent whole. The text opens with detailed explanations of the fundamental materials of fireworks (saltpeter, sulfur, metallic powders) and proceeds to give precise recipes for producing flames in various colors, from the classic white and red to more delicate blues and greens. Blondel is meticulous in outlining methods for mixing, pressing, and safely loading such compositions, always attentive to the balance of power and finesse required to produce reliable effects. From these foundations he moves to the construction of specific devices: rockets of different calibers, Roman candles, fire pots, fountains, and the elaborate wheels and scenic mechanisms that animated public celebrations. This textual instruction finds its visual counterpart in the five large folding copperplates that accompany the volume, each transforming Blondel’s methods into clear, instructive diagrams. The first plate presents the essential instruments of rocket manufacture arranged with precise proportional measurements, effectively providing a scale model of the workshop itself. The second plate turns to the craftsman at work, showing the filling and mounting of rockets, the racks that steady them, and various mechanical arrangements. More complex ground-based structures appear in the third plate. The fourth and fifth plate shift from mechanics to spectacle, illustrating pyrotechnic wheels, cross-shaped constructions, geometric fire wheels, and scenographic composition of the letter "A". Taken together, the text and plates form a comprehensive manual of early nineteenth-century pyrotechnics, remarkable for its clarity, ambition, and the seamless interplay between scientific precision and theatrical imagination.