Vauban was the foremost military engineer of France, not only during his lifetime, but also throughout the 18th century when his legacy and methods remained in place almost unchanged. Indeed, his expertise and experience in the construction, defence, and attack of fortresses is unrivalled by any of his contemporaries, of any nationality. In all three of those fields he was a significant innovator and prolific exponent, having planned approximately 160 major defensive projects and directed over 50 sieges. This book provides not only a modern listing of his varied interventions and their fates, but also a wide-ranging discussion of just how and why they pushed forward the international boundaries of the arts of fortification.

Paddy Griffith is a freelance military historian based in Manchester, working as both an author and a publisher. His groundbreaking books on low-level tactics include 'Forward Into Battle' (1990), 'Battle Tactics of the Civil War' (1986) and 'Battle Tactics of the Western Front' (1994). He has also written books on the art of war of the Vikings, the French between 1789 and 1851, and NATO in the 1980s, as well as numerous works on wargames. He is currently active in the South Manchester Tactical Society and the Battlefields Trust.
Peter Dennis was born in 1950 and, having been inspired by contemporary magazines such as 'Look and Learn', studied illustration at Liverpool Art College. He has since contributed to hundreds of books, predominantly on historical subjects. He is a keen wargamer and modelmaker.