Free kindle book and epub digitized and proofread by project gutenberg. Plinys natural history, either directly or indirectly through quotes by later authors, greatly influenced the development of the bestiary and other medieval beast literature. Internet archive bookreader plinys natural history. Naturalis historia is an early encyclopedia published circa ad 7779 by pliny the elder it is one of the largest single works to have survived from the roman empire to the modern day and purports to cover all ancient knowledge.
The numbers below refer to the book roman number and paragraph arabic number. Pliny s natural history, either directly or indirectly through quotes by later authors, greatly influenced the development of the bestiary and other medieval beast literature. Natural history encyclopedic scientific work by pliny the. 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. In thirtyseven books internet archive bookreader pliny s natural history. Pliny himself died while investigating the volcanic eruption that destroyed pompeii in ad 79, and the natural curiosity that brought about his death is also very much evident in the natural history a book that proved highly influential right up until the renaissance and that his nephew, pliny the younger, described as full of variety as.
Natural history pliny currently redirects to naturalis historia, the result of a recent page move. Museums oldest natural history book now accessible online. I ran a first proofreading pass immediately after entering each book, so that the text of all the. Pliny s is an organic work, as shakespeares crowded plays or montaignes essays are organic. Book i summarizes the entire contents of the work, listing the authors and sometimes the titles of the books many of which are now lost from which pliny derived. Such then is the present state of the world, and of the countries, nations, more remarkable seas, islands, and cities which it contains.
Id love to see some photos if anyone would care to post. Top american libraries canadian libraries universal library community texts project gutenberg biodiversity heritage library childrens library. 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. Jun 30, 2002 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. In ad 77, pliny published his famous 37volume work naturalis historia or natural history. Life born into the municipal aristocracy of comum, pliny plihnee the elder followed an equestrian career.
He served as cavalry officer in germany and governor procurator in. Questia read the fulltext online edition of natural history of pliny vol. Natural history encyclopedic scientific work by pliny the elder. Pliny the elder, tireless researcher and writer, is author of t. The nature of the animated beings which exist upon it, is hardly in any degree less worthy of our contemplation than its other features. The natural history of pliny, volume 1 of 6 by the elder pliny free ebook project gutenberg. See all 23 formats and editions hide other formats and editions. Listen to natural history volume 4 by pliny the elder at. 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. Ive thought about ordering it but am curious as to someof the details. Pliny the elders natural history, from firstcentury rome, is the most important surviving encyclopedia of the ancient world. The table below is a summary based on modern names for topics. Unusually, the entire remarkable work it contains over a million words has survived intact it is one of the most substantial ancient works available to modern readers. 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.
Direct observation, informed speculation and common knowledge are combined to present a key snapshot of ancient thought and the romans. Direct observation, informed speculation and common knowledge are combined to present a key snapshot of ancient thought and the romans perspective on the. Pliny the elder, tireless researcher and writer, is author of the encyclopedic natural history, in 37 books, an unrivaled compendium of roman knowledge. Pliny the elder wrote many works of history and biography, but he is best known for his book called natural history which gives moderns a good idea about the thinking of the ancients about biology, science, and medicine. The natural history which is actually a sort of encyclopedia of roman wisdom and prejudices has probably fallen out of favour because the first two books are surprisingly tedious. It is one of the largest single works to have survived from the roman empire to the modern day and purports to cover the entire field of ancient knowledge, based on the best authorities available to pliny. Selections from the history of the world, commonly called the natural history of c. He was a roman author and natural philosopher who wrote naturalis historia or natural history.
Pliny the elder pliny, the elder the online books page. This was an encyclopaedia of 37 books which covered the natural world. Pliny natural history vi, books xxxxiii in latin with english translation on facing pages by w. The natural history, volume 2 by pliny the elder free at. In addition, however, it provides valuable insight into the extraordinary complex of ideas and beliefs current in plinys era, many of which have resonances for other eras and cultures. The natural history book vii with book viii 4 pliny the elders natural history is a vast encyclopaedia, surveying natural phenomena from cosmology to biology, medicine to magic. It is one of the largest single works to have survived from the roman empire to the modern day and purports to cover all ancient knowledge. He claimed to have recorded 20,000 pieces of information, although modern scholars say he underestimated his own output. The guinness is a compilation of isolated and insipid facts.
Natural history pliny project gutenberg selfpublishing. In sum there are in this book of histories and observations four. This extraordinary work was originally composed and. Open library is an open, editable library catalog, building towards a web page for every book ever published. The natural history of pliny, volume 1 of 6 by the elder.
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. As a detailed study of the human animal, described by its author as the raison detre of nature, book seven of the elder plinys natural history is crucial to the understanding of the work as a whole. Page 431 the name which these stones bear, originates, it is said, in the peculiar tint of their brilliancy, which, after closely approaching the colour of wine, passes off into a violet without being fully pronounced. Although pliny did not distinguish between fact, opinion, and speculation in his 37volume treatise, he can be credited with. In thirtyseven books by pliny the elder, 1847, printed for the club by g. Naturalis historia natural history pliny natural history is the most common title for this work in english.
Pliny devised a summarium, or list of contents, at the beginning of the work that was later interpreted by modern printers as a table of contents. Pliny the elder naturalis historia latin for natural history is an encyclopedia published circa ad 7779 by pliny the elder. Drawn entirely by zelinsky and derived from pliny the elders celebrated natural history, this book tells the tale of lion and stoatthe two greatest artists who ever livedwho compete for immortality. In this book, dr doody examines this concept and its. Publication date 1938 topics natural history publisher.
American museum of natural history handbook series no. Plinius secundus nouocomensis equestribus militiis industrie functus by. Pliny the elder wrote the worlds first encyclopedia. A selection penguin classics john healey, pliny the elder. Buy plinys natural history in thirtyseven books on. This is a fascinating book, yet is only a selection and a small one at that of plinys great work. Internet archive bookreader pliny s natural history. Concentrating on pliny s accounts of foreign lands and peoples, monsters, and barbarians, trevor murphy demonstrates the political significance of this reference book as a. My ideal natural history would therefore be for penguin to publish all thirtyseven volumes, yet with copious footnotes so as to learn the accuracy of what pliny says and understand those things that he may have taken for granted. Upon this occasion we must not omit to mention the admiration that is lavished upon this plant by the gauls. His greatest and only surviving work, the natural history, has been called one of the most influential. This volume has margins with some fews cuts, the quality of the images are very high, and the volume has not any watermark of the sponsor.
Pliny extensively discusses metals starting with gold and silver book xxxiii, and then. Its author is roman philosopher and scholar gaius plinius secundus, commonly known as pliny the elder ad 2379. The elder plinys natural history is one of the largest and most extraordinary works to survive from antiquity. Pliny was a compiler, a gatherer and recorder of information. The homepage for plinys natural history the historia naturalis of c. Natural history encyclopedic scientific work by pliny. This book is available with additional data at biodiversity heritage library.
It has often been referred to as an encyclopedia, usually without full awareness of what such a characterisation implies. Pliny the elder 23 79 ce produced in his natural history a vast compendium of roman. Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes while you read the natural history of pliny. Although pliny did not distinguish between fact, opinion, and speculation in. This book is available with additional data at biodiversity. The elder pliny s natural history is one of the largest and most extraordinary works to survive from antiquity. The zoology chapters books 8 to 11 are frequently quoted, though pliny is not always acknowledged as the. The elder pliny on the human animal mary beagon oxford. Plinys natural history in thirtyseven books london. 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. Plinys historia naturalis natural history is a vast encyclopaedic work and the only book by him to have survived.
Naturalis historia latin for natural history is an encyclopedia published circa ad 7779 by pliny the elder. Messala being consuls, on the day before the calends of october, the anniversary of his birth, he displayed in. He served as cavalry officer in germany and governor procurator in spain, and at the. In thirtyseven books internet archive bookreader plinys natural history. Jul 12, 2018 free kindle book and epub digitized and proofread by project gutenberg. 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. Covid19 is an emerging, rapidly evolving situation. Concentrating on plinys accounts of foreign lands and peoples, monsters, and barbarians, trevor murphy demonstrates the political significance of this. More information about this seller contact this seller 15. The biodiversity heritage library works collaboratively to make biodiversity literature openly available to the world as part of a global biodiversity community. Barclay, 184749, also by philemon holland and wernerian club page images at hathitrust pliny, the elder. A major section of the natural history, books xx to xxix, discusses matters related to medicine, especially plants that yield useful drugs. His natural history contained over a million words in 37 volumes pliny attempted to document all known facts about the natural world. Buy natural history penguin classics reprint by pliny the elder, john healey, john healey isbn.
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