The collection of modern weapons (from the late 15th to the early 19th century) at the War Museum has been forming since the first half of the twentieth century thanks to numerous donations from Italian museum institutions - such as the National Artillery Museums of Turin and Castel Sant'Angelo in Rome and the Risorgimento Museum of Brescia - and foreign institutions such as the Musée de l'Armée in Paris and the Military Museum in Prague. However, the most important cores come from donations by members and collaborators of the Museum, including Giovanni Malfer, Carlo Gerosa, and Riccardo Caproni, whose heirs intended to honor the brother, a collector and collaborator of the War Museum.

The inventorying of materials began in the 1960s and continued until 2010 by scholars both internal and external to the Museum. Between 2010 and 2013, cataloging was completely rethought and completed by Francesco Rossi, a renowned scholar of ancient weapons. The work produced over a thousand catalog cards, combining terminological rigor and critical description, forming the structure of this catalog.

The volume is divided into four sections: armor (helmets, iron mesh, pauldrons, bracelets, gauntlets, greaves, shin guards, horse protections, etc.); white weapons (long, short, and accessories); polearms, blunt weapons, and missile weapons; firearms (long, short, flintlocks, parts, and accessories). For each object in the volume, there is a detailed card, hundreds of color photos, over seventy tables with illustrative drawings and glossaries, a specialized bibliography, indices of historical figures and weapon manufacturers, places of manufacture and conservation.

With its 503 pages, the volume is an important work that not only describes the collection of the War Museum up to 2014 (the collection is periodically enriched through donations, assignments, and acquisitions) but also serves as a useful reference tool for researchers, collectors, and enthusiasts of weaponry due to its rich photographic section and detailed educational tables.