Natural History, a SelectionNatural History, a Selection
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Book, 1991
Current format, Book, 1991, , All copies in use.Book, 1991
Current format, Book, 1991, , All copies in use. Offered in 0 more formatsPresents a view of the world in the first century AD, covering such topics as astronomy, geography, art, and zoology.
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 water-clock, or the use of asses&; milk to remove wrinkles. 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 nature itself&;.
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 water-clock, or the use of asses&; milk to remove wrinkles. 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 nature itself&;.
John F. Healy has made a fascinating and varied selection from the Natural History for this clear, modern translation. In his introduction, he discusses the book and its sources topic by topic. This edition also includes a full index and notes.
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- London, England ; New York, NY, USA : Penguin Books, 1991.
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