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. It was probably the first attempt in western civilization to compile an encyclopedia. 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. Pliny the elder 2379 ce, tireless researcher and writer, is author of the encyclopedic natural history, in 37 books, an unrivaled compendium of roman knowledge. Direct observation, informed speculation and common knowledge are combined to present a key snapshot of ancient thought and the romans perspective on the. Nielsen book data summary 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. 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. The phaenomena afforded by trades, are a part of the history of nature, and therefore may both challenge the naturalists curiosity and add to his knowledge, nor will it suffice to justify learned men in the neglect and contempt of this part of natural history, that the men, from whom it must be learned, are illiterate mechanicks.
The description of metals and minerals is particularly detailed, and valuable for the history of science as being the most extensive compilation still available from the ancient world. 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. Pliny the elder naturalis historia latin for natural history is an encyclopedia published circa ad 7779 by pliny the elder. Pliny the elder pliny, the elder the online books page. Pliny the elder wrote about dragons forbidden history. Gaius plinius secundus ad 232479, called pliny the elder. He spent most of his time studying, writing or investigating natural and geographic phenomena in the field.
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. Pliny himself defines his scope as the natural world, or life. Natural history books supplies books mainly about wildlife, from mammals and birds to insects and is. The natural history book 20110401 customers who bought this item also bought. Trusted field guides that will help you locate and identify species wherever you are in the world. 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.
Natural living for a happy and healthy family coffee. Listen to natural history volume 4 by pliny the elder at. Topics included are the mathematics and metrology of the universe. This book is available with additional data at biodiversity heritage library. The natural history volume 2 pliny the elder audiobook.
The homepage for plinys natural history the historia naturalis of c. Although he was only fiftysix years old at the time of his death, he left behind a great legacy of political respect and appreciation, as well as a reputation for being one of the strongest ancient roman. Pliny the elder s natural history, from firstcentury rome, is the most important surviving encyclopedia of the ancient world. Gaius plinius secundus, better known as pliny the elder, was an author, naturalist, and natural philosopher as well as a naval and army commander of the early roman empire. The natural history by pliny the elder free at loyal books. The natural history of pliny paperback august 31, 2012 by. Pliny the elder 2379 ce, tireless researcher and writer, is author of the encyclopedic natural history, in 37 books, an unrivaled. Barclay, 184749, also by philemon holland and wernerian club page images at hathitrust pliny, the elder. Pliny the elder was made admiral of the western roman navy. Metallorum, quibus opes constant, adgnascentiumque iis natura indicata propemodum est, ita conexis rebus, ut immensa medicinae silva officinarumque tenebrae et morosa caelandi fingendique ac tinguendi subtilitas simul dicerentur. Links to translation of pliny the elder, natural history, by h. Pliny the elders sister, plinia, married a man named caecilius, from the northern italian town of comum. Pliny the elder, tireless researcher and writer, is author of the encyclopedic natural history, in 37 books, an unrivaled compendium of roman. The complete latin text of book xxviii of the historia naturalis of c.
Pliny, the elder h rackham pliny the elder 2379 ce produced in his natural history a vast compendium of roman knowledge. He wrote a number of books, but the natural history is the only one that survives. Natural history encyclopedic scientific work by pliny the elder. Book vii of the natural history provides a detailed examination of the human animal and is.
The natural history story book too, they plough up whole miles of ground in search of bulbs. Pliny the elder, tireless researcher and writer, is author of the encyclopedic natural history, in 37 books, an unrivaled compendium of roman knowledge. Pliny attempted to document all known facts about the natural world. Mathematical and metrological survey of the universe.
Extraordinary rare book selections from the american museum of natural history library by american museum of natural history and tom baione oct 2. 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. In order to navigate out of this carousel please use your heading shortcut key to navigate to the next or previous heading. Pliny the elder, natural history loeb classical library. Pliny s natural history is an astonishingly ambitious work that ranges from astronomy to art and from geography to zoology. 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.
Search the history of over 431 billion web pages on the internet. Plinys natural history is an astonishingly ambitious work that ranges from astronomy to art and from geography to zoology. Book 28, medicinal uses of the human bodys own products. In writing natural history, pliny or his assistants extracted roughly 20,000 facts from 2,000 volumes by 100 authors. 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. Contact us natural history books 1025 keokuk street iowa city, ia 52240 voice. Look for editions of this book at your library, or elsewhere. Pliny the elder wrote the worlds first encyclopedia. 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. This shopping feature will continue to load items when the enter key is pressed. Natural history an elucidation of why we have today this is a wikipedia book, a collection of wikipedia articles that can be easily saved, imported by an external electronic rendering service, and ordered as a printed book. As a guide to the cultural meanings of everyday things in ancient rome it is unparalleled.
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. Minor medicinal herbs, in roughly alphabetical order. Cobbs particular work had been typed in two volumes with a separate index and errata added at the end. Contributor university of california libraries language english. Covering more than 5,000 species, it is oneofakind. Naturalis historia latin for natural history is an encyclopedia published circa ad 7779 by pliny the elder. 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.
Dec 09, 2015 natural history is an account that can only be given by a roman in the year ad 77, and because of that we can truly know ad 77. Natural history encyclopedic scientific work by pliny. In the year 79, still admiral of the western fleet, pliny noticed a cloud over the city of pompeii. 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. Scientific results of cruise vii of the carnegie during 19281929 under command of captain j. Read, highlight, and take notes, across web, tablet, and phone. Although pliny did not distinguish between fact, opinion, and speculation in his 37volume treatise, he can be credited with. Natural history by plinny the elder penguin books australia. Summary from wikipedia this fourth volume includes books sixteen to twenty, covering the following subjects. Pliny the elder 2379 ce produced in his natural history a vast compendium of roman knowledge. It is the only work by pliny to have survived, and the last tha. A monumental and extraordinarily beautiful guide to earths wildlife and natural wonders its rocks, minerals, animals, plants, fungi, and microorganisms this book was 5 years in the making. History and genealogy of the cobb family in new england aka the cobb genealogy by isaac cobb of maine 1825 1890.
Table of contents of the others and of authorities. The natural history story book yesterdays classics. There is a version of his book with editing transcription done by miriam dorr cobb in 1979. The work became a model for all later encyclopedias in.
The natural history, volume 2 by pliny the elder free at. Besides a grammar book, pliny wrote several books on roman history, but by far his greatest achievement was natural history. In addition, however, it provides valuable insight into the extraordinary complex of ideas and beliefs current in pliny s era, many of which have resonances for other eras and cultures. Its an encyclopedia of what passed for scientific information in that time. Jun 21, 2018 gaius plinius secundus, better known in history as pliny the elder, was an influential administrator, officer, and author during his life. The work, which was largely complete by 77 ce, is divided into 37 books and covers such subjects as botany, zoology, and astronomy. Sing it songbird podcast natural living for a happy and healthy family coffee with friends liberando mentes. Topics included are the mathematics and metrology of the. Use the list below to locate a specific specialist bookseller or book store near you. This is a monumental and extraordinarily beautiful guide to the earths natural wonders. As a detailed study of the human animal, described by its author as the raison detre of nature, book seven of the elder pliny s natural history is crucial to the understanding of the work as a whole. Selections from the history of the world, commonly called the natural history of c. The older man, gaius plinius secundus, is called pliny the elder.
The natural history volume 4 pliny the elder audiobook. Carnegie institution of washington publication 565. We should have now concluded our description of the. Pliny the elder, roman savant and author of the celebrated natural history, an encyclopedic work of uneven accuracy that was an authority on scientific matters up to the middle ages.
Direct observation, informed speculation and common knowledge are combined to present a key snapshot of ancient thought and the romans perspective on the world around them. It is encyclopedic in scope, but its structure is not like that of a modern encyclopedia. Spending most of his spare time studying, writing or investigating natural and geographic phenomena in the field, he wrote an encyclopedic work, natural history naturalis historia, which became a model for many subsequent encyclopedic texts. 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. His natural history contained over a million words in 37 volumes. Publication date 184749 topics natural history publisher. He claimed to have recorded 20,000 pieces of information, although modern scholars say he underestimated his own output. The natural history of pliny, volume 5 bohns classical library the natural history of pliny, pliny the elder. Pliny the elder s natural history is a vast encyclopaedia, surveying natural phenomena from cosmology to biology, medicine to magic.
The direct links to the latin text of this section of pliny are possible due to the advice of bill thayer at the university of kansas. Pliny the elder simple english wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Book 6 an account of countries, nations, seas, towns, havens, mountains, rivers, distances, and peoples who now exist or formerly existed book 7 man, his birth, his organization and the invention of the arts book 8 the nature of the terrestrial animals book 9 the natural history of fishes book 10 the natural history of birds. 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 works subject area is thus not limited to what is today understood by natural history. Th ey are always a little afraid of fences, but they mean to get to the water all the same. The illustrious life of pliny the elder, ancient historian. Although pliny did not distinguish between fact, opinion, and speculation in.
Summary from wikipedia this volume one includes the first five books, covering the following subjects. Links to translation of pliny the elder, natural history attalus. 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 pdf proved highly influential right up until the renaissance and that his nephew, pliny the younger, described as full of variety. Help with reading books report a bad link suggest a new listing. Lacuscurtius pliny the elders natural history book 28. Publication date 1938 topics natural history publisher. The zoology chapters books 8 to 11 are frequently quoted, though pliny is not always acknowledged as the source. The elder pliny on the human animal mary beagon oxford.