Complete Works of Pliny the Elder

by Pliny the Elder

The Roman naturalist Pliny the Elder’s encyclopaedic ‘Natural History’, composed in 37 books, remains an unrivalled compendium of Roman knowledge. Delphi’s Ancient Classics series provides eReaders with the wisdom of the Classical world, with both English translations and the original Latin texts. This comprehensive eBook presents Pliny’s complete extant works, with beautiful illustrations, informative introductions and the usual Delphi bonus material. (Version 1)

* Beautifully illustrated with images relating to Pliny's life and works
* Features the complete extant works of Pliny, in both English translation and the original Latin
* Concise introduction to the ‘Natural History’
* ‘Natural History’ translated by John Bostock and Henry Thomas Riley, 1855
* Excellent formatting of the texts
* Detailed table of contents for the entire 37 books
* Easily locate the chapters you want to read
* Features two bonus biographies – discover Pliny's ancient world
* Scholarly ordering of texts into chronological order and literary genres

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CONTENTS:

The Translation
NATURAL HISTORY

The Latin Text
CONTENTS OF THE LATIN TEXT

The Biographies
THE LIFE OF PLINY by Suetonius
INTRODUCTION TO PLINY THE ELDER by H. Rackham

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Genres: History, Classics, Ancient History, Nonfiction, Science, Collections

4568 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 77

About the author

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. Spending most of his spare time studying, writing or investigating natural and geographic phenomena in the field, he wrote an encyclopedic work, Naturalis Historia, which became a model for all such works written subsequently. Pliny the Younger, his nephew, wrote of him in a letter to the historian Tacitus:

"For my part I deem those blessed to whom, by favour of the gods, it has been granted either to do what is worth writing of, or to write what is worth reading; above measure blessed those on whom both gifts have been conferred. In the latter number will be my uncle, by virtue of his own and of your compositions."

Pliny the Younger is referring to the fact that Tacitus relied on his uncle's now missing work on the History of the German Wars. Pliny the Elder died on August 25, 79 AD, while attempting the rescue by ship of a friend and his family from the eruption of Mount Vesuvius that had just destroyed the cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum. The prevailing wind would not allow his ship to leave the shore. His companions attributed his collapse and death to toxic fumes; but they were unaffected by the fumes, suggesting natural causes.

Reviews

[Les Wilson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Love these classics, many which I haven't read since leaving school over 50 years ago.

[Classic reverie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read book one which was a little interesting and I am sure that this content is important to keep for posterity but I could not keep reading for a lot of information was too much that was too much in facts for those times, a large volume that I could not relate to in the least. What I found the most interesting was the claim that the earth was round was apparent to this learned man but it was known far earlier in the Bible.

[D J Rout · Rating 4 out of 5]

The second half of the book is the complete works in the original Klingon Latin. given what the Kindle did for Bewoulf in Old English, I didn't bother listening ot it in Latin.

The book si interesting to see how what things Pliny thought were absolutely true have hung on in modern thought, albeit as old wives' tales. It's also ingersting ot see such a complete work covering the geography of the world from Ireland to India and taling of a lot fetails hterein, has o Christain allusions at all. You just don't see that in books between Roman times and the Renaissance. (For this moment I'm ignoring both Sun Tzu and Omar Khayaam.)

If you can actually read the book, the detailed contents would be a godsend.