JOSÉ FERNANDES PINTO ALPOIM - 1700-1765 Exame de bombeiros (Firefighters exam) EXAME DE BOMBEIROS.- ALPOIM, José Fernandes Pinto.- Exame de bombeiros, que comprehende dez tratados; o primeiro da Geometria, o segundo de huma nova Trigonometria, o terceiro da Longemetria[...] Obra nova, e ainda nam escrita de author Portuguez, utilissima para se ensinarem os novos Soldados Bombeiros, por perguntas e respostas...- En Madrid: En la Officina de Francisco Martinezabad, Año de M. DCC. XXXXVIII. [1748].- [40], 444 [aliás 442] p., 1 tabela desdobr.: 1 retrato, XVIII [aliás 20] gravuras desdobr.; 20 cm.- E. José Fernandes Alpoim (1700-1765) was born in Viana do Castelo and in 1738 traveled to Brazil where he was distinguished as an architect and military engineer, having reached the rank of brigadier. In Rio de Janeiro he taught in the artillery and fortification courses for which he wrote two treatises: Examination of Gunners (Lisboa, 1744) and fire test (Madrid, 1748). The edition is illustrated with a portrait of Gomes Freire de Andrade (1685-1763), Governor of Rio, to whom the work is dedicated, engraved by Olivarius Cor (E. Soares, History, p. 180 and N º 500), an allegorical vignette at the beginning of the dedicatory and 20 unfolding engravings, Numbered from I to XVIII (from the engravings II and XI there are two different proofs) authored by José Francisco Chaves (E. Soares, History, p. 171). Especially enigmatic figure XVII presenting the subscription: José Franc. Keys fecit-Rio 1749. This last indication has led some historians and bibliographers to sustain the hypothesis that the engraving (and even the edition) may have been opened in Rio de Janeiro, a controversial affirmation that until today remains unsubstantiate. Paging displays an error: from P. 372 it passes to p. 375, without any hiatus on the text or in the notebook. Specimen a little trimmed, but clean, preserving all the engravings well folded. XVII print with reinforcement in the fold; Picture and some engravings lightly damaged by the trim. Entire calf binding of the season, slightly tired, with traces of moth work (without affecting the crumb), preserving the original guards, red label and four ribs on the spine. Inocêncio, IV, p. 326. Borba de Moraes (1983), p. 25/26 (These Two famous and rare works by Alpoym constitute a veritable "bibliographic puzzle "). Army Library, 324.