The natural history by pliny the elder free at loyal books. He wrote the encyclopedic naturalis historia natural history, which became an editorial model for encyclopedias. 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. Philemon hollands english translation of 1605 has influenced literature ever since. 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. Plinys natural history is an astonishingly ambitious work that ranges from astronomy to art and from geography to zoology.
His natural history contained over a million words in 37 volumes pliny attempted to document all known facts about the natural world. Naturalis historia is an early encyclopedia published circa ad 7779 by pliny the elder. Utf8 start of this project gutenberg ebook natural history of pliny, vol 1 produced by turgut dincer, brian wilcox. The letters of pliny the younger on the eruption of vesuvius, and more on. Links to translation of pliny the elder, natural history attalus. Links to translation of pliny the elder, natural history, by h. Book vii of the natural history provides a detailed examination of the human animal and is. The natural history of pliny, volume 1 of 6 by pliny, the elder author. 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. Pliny the elder, natural history loeb classical library. A multifaceted personality, he was also an author, naturalist, and a naval and army commander of the early roman empire. 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.
The natural history book vii with book viii 4 latin texts kindle edition by pliny the elder, pliny the, travillian, tyler t download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. Volume i of the natural history of gaius plinius secundus. Naturalis historia is an encyclopedia published circa ad 7779 by pliny the elder. In the present translation, the principal editions of. The works subject area is thus not limited to what is today understood by natural history. Natural history is an account that can only be given by a roman in the year ad 77, and because. The british library public domain 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. 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. Plinys natural history has too often been regarded as simply a quarry for quaint storiesa view which has tended to overshadow its overall structure and purpose. Natural history pliny wikimili, the free encyclopedia. Pliny the elder books list of books by author pliny the. Dec 09, 2015 but over the centuries these mistakes have revealed more about plinys world than the accuracies. 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 homepage for plinys natural history the historia naturalis of c.
In the first two books, the text of hardouin, as given in lemaires edition paris. The project gutenberg ebook of the natural history of pliny, vol i. Free kindle book and epub digitized and proofread by project gutenberg. Pliny the younger was born in novum comum como, northern italy around 61 ad, the son of lucius caecilius cilo, born there, and his wife plinia marcella, a sister of pliny the elder. Natural history pliny wikimili, the free encyclopedia wikimili, the free encyclopedia. Natural history pliny project gutenberg selfpublishing. Natural history by pliny the elder the 1279th greatest. Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes while you read the natural history of pliny. Naturalis historia naturalis historia, 1669 edition, title page.
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, the natural history john bostock, m. Natural history, volume iii, books 811 loeb classical library no. 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 ad 2379 was a roman natural philosopher who was educated in rome and came into contact with celts during his military service in germany and gaul. The table below is a summary based on modern names for topics.
This gave such a blow to the oration, that in the opinion of11 the learned. Pomponius secundus, in two books, a person by whom. Pliny the elder, tireless researcher and writer, is author of the encyclopedic natural. Pliny the elder books list of books by author pliny the elder. Pliny the elder wrote the worlds first encyclopedia. Pliny the elder s natural history is a vast encyclopaedia, surveying natural phenomena from cosmology to biology, medicine to magic.
He claimed to have recorded 20,000 pieces of information, although modern scholars say he underestimated his own output. Pliny the elder biography facts, childhood, family life. The only translation of plinys 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. Open library is an open, editable library catalog, building towards a web page for every book ever published. Of the motions of the planets and the general laws of their. In this book, beagon redresses the balance and illuminates the natural history as the work of an author with an identifiable mode of thinking and a coherent attitude toward his. Natural history encyclopedic scientific work by pliny. The natural history of pliny, volume 6 bohns classical library the natural history of pliny, henry thomas riley. Plinys natural history, either directly or indirectly through quotes by later authors, greatly influenced the development of the bestiary and other medieval beast literature. Buy natural history penguin classics reprint by pliny the elder, john healey, john healey isbn. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders.
This edition can be found on the internet archive, with the exception of books. The natural history of pliny paperback october 14, 2018 by the elder pliny creator 4. The zoology chapters books 8 to 11 are frequently quoted, though pliny is not always acknowledged as the. It is a compilation of everything that pliny heard, read or saw, and is a mix of fact and fable. Pliny the elder naturalis historia latin for natural history is an encyclopedia published circa ad 7779 by pliny the elder. Pliny was a compiler, a gatherer and recorder of information. The natural history book vii with book viii 4 latin texts.
But over the centuries these mistakes have revealed more about plinys world than the accuracies. This book is available with additional data at biodiversity heritage library. Pliny the elder 2379 ce produced in his natural history a vast compendium of. Plinys historia naturalis natural history is a vast encyclopaedic work and the only book by him to have survived. He is best known for his work plinys natural history which was in. 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 library of congress published by salem press, inc. The project gutenberg ebook of the natural history of. 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. Life born into the municipal aristocracy of comum, pliny plihnee the elder followed an equestrian career. Plinys natural history in thirtyseven books scholars. I handkeyed the latin text of pliny from the teubner edition of the text. Pliny the elder, the natural history exploring celtic. The following is an adaptation of pliny the elder, the natural history, trans.
The division of human knowledge into different fieldsbiology, history, mathematics, medicine, and so onis a relatively new invention. 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. Pliny s natural history has too often been regarded as simply a quarry for quaint storiesa view which has tended to overshadow its overall structure and purpose. 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. Pliny the elder 23 79, translated by henry thomas riley 1816 1878 naturalis historia latin for natural history is an encyclopedia published circa ad 7779 by pliny the elder. Pliny himself defines his scope as the natural world, or life.
The work, which was largely complete by 77 ce, is divided into 37 books and covers such subjects as botany, zoology, and astronomy. In writing it, pliny or his assistants extracted roughly 20,000 facts from 2,000 volumes by 100 authors. In thirtyseven books by pliny the elder, 1847, printed for the club by g. The project gutenberg ebook of the natural history of pliny. The loeb classical library edition of natural history is in ten volumes. The natural history book vii with book viii 4 latin texts by bloomsbury isbn. This extraordinary work was originally composed and. 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.
Most gracious highness let this title, a supremely true one, be yours, while that of most eminent grows to old age with your sirei have resolved to recount b to you, in a somewhat presumptuous letter, the offspring of my latest travail, my volumes of natural history a novel task for the native. 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. In ad 77, pliny published his famous 37volume work naturalis historia or natural history. The work, which was largely complete by 77 ce, is divided into 37 books and covers such. See all books authored by pliny the elder, including naturalis historia, and ashen sky. Gaius plinius secundus ad 232479, called pliny the elder.
Book 11, insects, their physiology and habits especially bees, silkworms, spiders. Preface pliny natural history preface plinius secundus to his dear vespasian a greeting. American museum of natural history handbook series no. The natural history of pliny, volume 1 of 6 by the elder pliny free ebook project gutenberg. The 37volume history had a table of contents that, when translated into english, required more than 70 pages. Pliny s natural history in thirtyseven books by pliny, the elder. 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. 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. He is best known for his work pliny s natural history which was in latin and explored the natural world. He was the grandson of senator and landowner gaius caecilius, revered his uncle, pliny the elder who at this time was extremely famous around the roman empire, and provided sketches of how his uncle worked on. Read, highlight, and take notes, across web, tablet, and phone. Natural history encyclopedic scientific work by pliny the elder. Pliny the elder was a roman natural philosopher who lived during the 1st century.
The natural history was one of the first ancient european texts to be printed, in venice in 1469. Pliny the elders natural history and millions of other books are available for. Natural history page from an italian edition of natural history by pliny the elder, c. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading pliny the elder. Naturalis historia by pliny the elder, 1958, heinemann edition, in english natural history 1958 edition open library. Natural history, volume iii, books 811 loeb classical library. He claims to be the only roman ever to have undertaken such a work and prays. 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.
774 444 516 921 548 903 374 355 1422 560 1118 484 1340 280 1294 324 1233 895 361 75 1382 1291 1119 1077 1153 509 258 647 977 120 483 504 570 1367 1300 1410 230 41 133 661 420 95 1290 1190 99