Plinius Secundus (Pliny), Gaius; The History of the World, Commonly Called the Natural History of C. Plinths Secundus. Translated into English by Philemon Holland, Doctor of Physick. London: Adam Islip, 1601. Small folio, two volumes in one. Vol. One, Engraved title, pp. 58, 614, 42 (index). Vol. Two, pp 12, (2nd engraved title, To the Reader, Explanation of Words.) 632, 86 (index and errata).
This rare work is complete and in a contemporary full calf with marbled end sheets and yellow tinted text block, gilt spine titles and panels. The binding is tight with light scuffing, shelf wear to binding edges. Two armorial book plates (one engraved) and later owner’s book plate on paste down and adjacent free ens sheet. The text is exceptionally clean with only a light smudge on a couple of page margins. A very nice copy of the rare first edition in English of Pliny’s famous work.
Plinius Secundus (0023-0079) was an Italian naturalist, writer and encyclopedist. He born in what is now Como, Italy and died near Pompeii, Italy during the eruption of Vesuvius.
Pliny was a foremost authority on science in ancient Europe. He was educated in Rome and after a military career he retired to devote his time to the study of the natural sciences and writing. Of the many works written by Pliny, the only one to be preserved was his great encyclopedia of nature and art in 37 books, the Historia Naturalis. The first ten books were published in 77 A.D. and the remainder after his death, edited probably by his nephew, Pliny the Younger. In 79 A.D., eager to examine more closely the eruption of Mount Vesuvius that destroyed Herculaneum and Pompeii, he sailed across the bay of Naples to Stabiae, where he was suffocated by the ash and gases from the eruption.
Pliny’s work is the first printed book dealing with natural history, and is an encyclopaedia of the ancient world covering many subjects. It was held in high esteem by scholars for over fifteen centuries and became one of the most influential books on science ever written.
Pliny states in the preface to Historia that the work contains over 20,000 facts culled from some 200 books. There are 473 authors mentioned: 146 Roman and 327 Greek. While he uses Aristotle as his principle authority, he cites information from sources as he uncovered them, and thus, a vast amount of material preserved in the Historia which would otherwise have been lost to the world has been preserved.
A careful reading of the work reveals a vast amount of natural history data which is common to us now and presumed to be of modern discovery but which was actually recorded first by Pliny.
The first ten books of Pliny's work were written about 77 A.D. During the next two years, the remainder of the text was being revised and edited, and was left unfinished at the time of Pliny's tragic death It is probable that some material was added when the author's nephew Pliny the Younger (61-113 AD) completed the great work and made it available to the world.
The Historiae Naturalis is a comprehensive work divided into 37 books (or sections) that make it the first encyclopedia of knowledge. Scientific subjects include astronomy, chemistry, geology, mineralogy, botany, husbandry, zoology, geography, anthropology, ethnology, and the history and practice of medicine and art. It was a common source from which early writers of science drew examples.
The final five books (XXXIII-XXXVII) contain the ancient Roman view of minerals and geological processes. Pliny provides details on the Roman mineral industry with broad discussions of the mining methods and smelting processes of metals. He discusses the value of various earths for colors and ceramics, and the occurrence and uses of numerous minerals and gems.
