Alain Manesson Mallet (1630 – 1706) was a renowned French military engineer, cartographer and surveyor. He began his career as a soldier in the army of King Louis XIV, and later became a Sergeant-Major and an Inspector of Fortifications. In 1683 he published his magnum opus, Description de l’Univers (Description of the Universe), a five volume work containing maps, plans, and views of the entire known world.
Alain Manesson Mallet (1630 – 1706) was a renowned French military engineer, cartographer and surveyor. He began his career as a soldier in the army of King Louis XIV, and later became a Sergeant-Major and an Inspector of Fortifications. In 1683 he published his magnum opus, Description de l’Univers (Description of the Universe), a five volume work containing maps, plans, and views of the entire known world.
Mallet was an instrumental force behind the foundations of geometry and geography in Europe. Later in his life, he served as the mathematics and geography professor in the royal court of Louis XIV. He also produced several studies of spheres, including an armillary sphere, geometrical models, and terrestrial and celestial globes. For his final work, he created an instruction manual addressing the fields of geometry, trigonometry, planimetry and stereometry. This popular piece was illustrated with superb engravings featuring prominent landmarks and views.
