Eichholz pliny the elder, tireless researcher and writer, is author of the encyclopedic natural history, in 37 books, an unrivaled compendium of roman knowledge. It is no disparagement to hollands merits, as a diligent and generally faithful translator, to say that his work is unsuited to the requirements of the nineteenth century. His nephew pliny the younger gives an indication how devoted his uncle was to reading and studying, which was like working to him. The loeb classical library is an essential set for anyone studying the classics.
Read more about the sites features pliny the elder 2379 ce, tireless researcher and writer, is author of the encyclopedic natural history, in 37 books, an unrivaled. Pliny the elder, the natural history john bostock, m. Natural history, volume iii, books 811 loeb classical library no. Natural history, volume ii, books 3 7 loeb classical library no. Nicholas jenson and the rise of venetian publishing in renaissance europe.
Natural history pliny wikimili, the free encyclopedia wikimili, the free encyclopedia. Neither the younger nor the elder pliny mention the names. Copies of plinys natural history have been preserved the. Natural history pliny project gutenberg selfpublishing. In 37 books, pliny the eldernot to be confused with his nephew, pliny the youngercovers botany, zoology, astronomy, geology, geography, mineralogy, and how each of these interact with roman life. Conceived of by james loeb in the early 20th century, the series was designed to make greek and latin classics accessible by the amateur reader. Pliny the elder was made admiral of the western roman navy.
The natural history of pliny, volume 6 bohns classical library the natural history of pliny, henry thomas riley. Internet archive bookreader the natural history of pliny. The only translation of pliny s natural history which has hitherto appeared in the english language is that by philemon holland, published in the latter part of the reign of elizabeth. Natural history, encyclopaedic scientific work of dubious accuracy by pliny the elder, completed in 77 ce as naturae historiae and conventionally known as naturalis historia. On the eating of flesh l418 pliny natural history viii. Internet archive bookreader plinys natural history. An illustration of a computer application window wayback machine an illustration of an open book. Natural history, volume ii, books 37 loeb classical. Plinys natural history is an astonishingly ambitious work that ranges from astronomy to art and from geography to zoology. Natural history pliny wikimili, the free encyclopedia. Their ultimate source is a fragmentary inscription cil v 1 3442 found in a field in. Ssternerfan bone ticket of admission to the amphitheatre, found at pompeii the first book natural history by c. Links to translation of pliny the elder, natural history attalus.
In the year 79, still admiral of the western fleet, pliny noticed a cloud over the city of pompeii. The most popular natural history ever published, isis, v. Publication date 1938 topics natural history publisher. Pliny, the elder h rackham pliny, the elder, gaius plinius secundus ad 2379, a roman of equestrian rank of transpadane gaul n. This edition can be found on the internet archive, with the exception of books 3337, which are available on this website.
Pdf of public domain loeb edition in greek and english. Links to translation of pliny the elder, natural history. Pliny the elder 2379 ce, tireless researcher and writer, is author of the encyclopedic natural history, in 37 books, an unrivaled. Plinys dates are pinned to the eruption of mount vesuvius in 79 and a statement of his nephew that he died in his 56th year, which would put his birth in ad 23 or 24 pliny was the son of an equestrian, gaius plinius celer, and his wife, marcella. Covid19 is an emerging, rapidly evolving situation. Naturalis historia by pliny the elder, was dedicated to the emperor titus in 77 ce, and published posthumously, following plinys death while observing the eruption of vesuvius in 79 ce. Like any great work in human history from plato to galileo, from dante to stephen hawkings pliny s natural history is, first of all, a work of imagination. As one of the largest and most comprehensive surviving works from the roman empire, pliny the elders natural history offers a rare glimpse into the scholarship of the ancient world. Pliny s is an organic work, as shakespeares crowded plays or montaignes essays are organic. To an english one, the botanist is not sure that a variety included by pliny. Plinys natural history in thirtyseven books london.
Volume i of the natural history of gaius plinius secundus. Natural history encyclopedic scientific work by pliny the. Natural history encyclopedic scientific work by pliny. Philemon hollands english translation of 1605 has influenced literature ever since. Pliny the elder, tireless researcher and writer, is author of the encyclopedic natural history, in 37 books, an unrivaled compendium of roman knowledge. While serving in this position he also found time to write his famous natural history which was published in 77. For centuries the natural history served as the western worlds primary source of scientific information and theory book i summarizes the entire contents of the work, listing the authors and sometimes the titles of. Gaius plinius secundus ad 23 august 25, ad 79, better known as pliny the elder, was a roman author, naturalist, and natural philosopher, as well as naval and army commander of the early roman empire, and personal friend of the emperor vespasian. Topics natural history publisher london printed for the club by g. Volume 9, books 3335, natural history loeb classical.
It is an encyclopedic work, designed to illustrate a philosophical belief in a benign providence, and to assimilate greek knowledge for the roman world. Although pliny did not distinguish between fact, opinion, and speculation in his 37volume treatise, he can be credited with the creation of the first scientific encyclopaedia. The natural history was one of the first ancient european texts to be printed, in venice in 1469. Pliny the elder, tireless researcher and writer, is author of the encyclopedic natural history, in 37 books, an unrivaled compendium of roman knowledge the contents of the books are as follows. The project gutenberg ebook of the natural history of. He is the sole authority for some curious facts in natural history. The world, and this whatever other name men have chosen to designate the sky whose vaulted roof encircles the universe is fitly believed to be a deity, eternal, immeasurable, a being that never began to exist and never will perish. Publication date 184749 topics natural history publisher.
Jones and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. Mingling acute observation with often wild speculation, it offers a fascinating view of the world as it was understood in the first century ad, whether describing the danger of diving for sponges, the first waterclock, or the use of asses milk to remove wrinkles. The digital loeb classical library extends the founding mission of james loeb with an interconnected, fully searchable, perpetually growing virtual library of all that is important in greek and latin literature. Natural history, volume iii, books 811 loeb classical library. The natural history of pliny volume 6 digital collections. The homepage for plinys natural history the historia naturalis of c. Topics included are the mathematics and metrology of the universe. Naturalis historia is a book about the whole of the natural world in latin by pliny the elder, a roman author and naval commander who died in 79 ad. Pliny the elder pliny, the elder the online books page. Author pliny the elder country ancient rome subject natural history, ethnography, art, sculpture, mining, mineralogy genre encyclopaedia, popular science the natural history is a work by pliny the elder. The loeb classical library foundel by james loeh,i. Pdf pliny the elder is a unique phenomenon in the history of the literary transmission of antique texts. Pliny the elder 2379 ce produced in his natural history a vast compendium of roman knowledge.
Open access to all the public domain loeb classical. Historical traditions at wells, 1464, 1470, 1497 pdf. Gaius plinius secundus 23 ad august 25, 79 ad, better known as pliny the elder, was a roman author, naturalist, and natural philosopher, as well as naval and army commander of the early roman empire, and personal friend of the emperor vespasian. The table below is a summary based on modern names for topics. Pliny the elder, who died during the eruption of vesuvius in 79 a. Loeb was troubled by the decline in the humanities and believed that there was much value in studying the best works from the past. Pliny the elder pliny, the elder a wikipedia article about this author is available pliny, the elder. The loeb classics edition, in 10 volumes harvard university press. Although pliny did not distinguish between fact, opinion, and speculation in his 37volume treatise, he can be credited with. The natural history has been translated into english by h. The natural history there is no book so bad that some good cannot be got out of it, pliny the elder used to say, and he read everything that he could obtain. The guinness is a compilation of isolated and insipid facts. Pliny wrote the encyclopedic naturalis historia natural history, which became an editorial model for encyclopedias.
Books 4345 l400 aristotle on sophistical refutations. Eichholz in their loeb edition, with the latin text on facing pages. American museum of natural history handbook series no. Barclay, 184749, also by philemon holland and wernerian club page images at hathitrust pliny, the elder. Selections from the history of the world, commonly called the natural history of c. Naturalis historia naturalis historia, 1669 edition, title page. Pliny s natural history is an astonishingly ambitious work that ranges from astronomy to art and from geography to zoology.
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