Natural History : A Selection

by Secundius Gaisus Pliny the Elder (Author); Healey, John F. (Translator); Healey, John F. (Introduction by)

• ISBN13: 9780140444131
• ISBN10: 0140444130
• Edition: Reprint
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 1991-11-01
• Publisher: Penguin Classics

Summary

Plinyrs"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 assesrs" 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 ls"as full of variety as nature itselfrs".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.

Table of Contents

Introduction	ix
Further Reading	xli
Translator's Note	xliii
Natural History
Preface	3	(7)
The Universe and the World
Astronomy	10	(32)
Spain and Italy	42	(7)
Europe and Britain	49	(5)
The Continents of Africa and Asia	54	(9)
The Black Sea, India and the Far East	63	(11)
Zoology
Man	74	(34)
Land Animals	108	(20)
Creatures of the Sea	128	(14)
Birds	142	(7)
Insects	149	(15)
Botany
Trees	164	(18)
Vines and Viticulture	182	(12)
The Olive and Other Fruit-Trees	194	(12)
Forest Trees	206	(11)
Agriculture	217	(7)
Materia Medica
Drugs Obtained from Garden Plants	224	(5)
Flowers and Herbs	229	(3)
The Vine and the Walnut	232	(2)
Drugs Obtained from Foreign Trees	234	(5)
The Nature of Wild Plants	239	(5)
Diseases and their Remedies	244	(4)
More Plants Used in Medicine	248	(3)
Drugs Obtained from Man; Magic and Superstition	251	(9)
Medicine, Doctors and Medical Practice	260	(8)
Magic	268	(4)
Water	272	(7)
Fish and Aquatic Creatures	279	(7)
Mining and Minerals
Gold and Silver	286	(23)
Copper and Bronze Sculpture, Tin, Lead and Iron	309	(14)
Painting, Sculpture and Architecture	323	(19)
Stones, Minerals and Monuments	342	(23)
Precious Stones	365	(14)
Key To Place-Names	379	(8)
Index	387