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'.
| ISBN: | 9780140444131 |
| Publication date: | 29th August 1991 |
| Author: | Pliny |
| Publisher: | Penguin Classics an imprint of Penguin Books Ltd |
| Format: | Paperback |
| Pagination: | 448 pages |
| Series: | Penguin Classics |
| Genres: |
Nature and the natural world: general interest Literary essays Ancient, classical and medieval texts |
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'.
Natural History features in the following genres: Nature and the natural world: general interest, Literary essays, Ancient, classical and medieval texts
Natural History is available in Paperback
Natural History was written by Pliny and published by Penguin Classics an imprint of Penguin Books Ltd
Natural History has 448 pages
Yes it is part of Penguin Classics series
£11.69