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Folio Society - Pliny The Elder "Natural History" Limited Edition, Collector's Edition 5-Vol. Set [Sealed]

$650
Item #:
253-107
Folio Society -  Pliny The Elder "Natural History" Limited Edition, Collector's Edition 5-Vol. Set [Sealed]
Folio Society -  Pliny The Elder "Natural History" Limited Edition, Collector's Edition 5-Vol. Set [Sealed]
Folio Society -  Pliny The Elder "Natural History" Limited Edition, Collector's Edition 5-Vol. Set [Sealed]
Folio Society -  Pliny The Elder "Natural History" Limited Edition, Collector's Edition 5-Vol. Set [Sealed]
Folio Society -  Pliny The Elder "Natural History" Limited Edition, Collector's Edition 5-Vol. Set [Sealed]

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A Rare Set for the Discerning Collector.

Folio Society. 2012. "Natural History" by Pliny The Elder. A Limited Edition 5-volume set., As New, sealed in the original shrink-wrap without any flaws. Slipcased.

  • Translated by H. Rackham.
  • Introduction by Anthony T. Grafton.
  • Published by the Folio Society in 2012 - First Printing

This is a 5-volume complete set in one shipment.

About Natural History

The Natural History (Latin: Naturalis Historia) is a work by Pliny the Elder. 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 work's subject area is thus not limited to what is today understood by natural history; Pliny himself defines his scope as "the natural world, or life". It is encyclopedic in scope, but its structure is not like that of a modern encyclopedia. It is the only work by Pliny to have survived, and the last that he published. He published the first 10 books in AD 77, but had not made a final revision of the remainder at the time of his death during the AD 79 eruption of Vesuvius. The rest was published posthumously by Pliny's nephew, Pliny the Younger.

The work is divided into 37 books, organized into 10 volumes. These cover topics including astronomy, mathematics, geography, ethnography, anthropology, human physiology, zoology, botany, agriculture, horticulture, pharmacology, mining, mineralogy, sculpture, painting, and precious stones.

Pliny's Natural History became a model for later encyclopedias and scholarly works as a result of its breadth of subject matter, its referencing of original authors, and its index.

About Pliny The Elder

Gaius Plinius Secundus (AD 23/24 – 79), called Pliny the Elder was a Roman author, a naturalist and natural philosopher, a naval and army commander of the early Roman Empire, and a friend of emperor Vespasian. He wrote the encyclopedic Naturalis Historia (Natural History), which became an editorial model for encyclopedias. He spent most of his spare time studying, writing, and investigating natural and geographic phenomena in the field.

His nephew, Pliny the Younger, wrote of him in a letter to the historian Tacitus:

For my part I deem those blessed to whom, by favour of the gods, it has been granted either to do what is worth writing of, or to write what is worth reading; above measure blessed those on whom both gifts have been conferred. In the latter number will be my uncle, by virtue of his own and of your compositions. Pliny the Younger refers to Tacitus’s reliance upon his uncle's book, the History of the German Wars.

Pliny the Elder died in AD 79 in Stabiae while attempting the rescue of a friend and his family by ship from the eruption of Mount Vesuvius, which had already destroyed the cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum. The wind caused by the sixth and largest pyroclastic surge of the volcano’s eruption did not allow his ship to leave port, and Pliny probably died during that event.

Wikipedia


ABOUT THE PUBLISHER

Founded in London in 1947, The Folio Society publishes carefully crafted editions of the world’s finest literature. We believe that great books deserve to be presented in a form worthy of their contents. For over 70 years we have celebrated the unique joy to be derived from owning, holding and reading a beautiful printed edition.

Beautifully crafted, imaginative editions of the world’s great works of fiction and non-fiction, Folio Society books offer a rich literary experience to readers of all ages. The books we select for publication are timeless – we know they will be enjoyed and appreciated now and in the future. Because each book is considered as an individual object of value in its own right, there is a variety to our aesthetic – the only uniformity is in the quality of every single book.



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VERY FINE GUARANTEED. As New. The set is sealed as if normally shipped from the publisher. The condition is of the highest quality without any discernible flaws. Unread books with sharp corners.
Publisher:
Folio Society
Edition:
Limited Edition 5-Vol. Collector's Set
Binding:
Hardcover
Illustrator:
see product description
Dimensions:
9" x 6.5" x 1.5"