- Contributed by Cathy Faye.
The August Book of the Month is a significant and valuable volume in our collection. The historie of the world: commonly called the natural historie of C. Plinius Secundus, translated into English by Philemon Holland, doctor in physicke by Pliny, the Elder (23 A.D. -79 A.D.) was a cornerstone in the long, taxonomic tradition of classifying and describing the contents of the natural and human sciences.
Commonly referred to as Pliny’s Natural Historie, this work was written sometime in the first century AD, published in Latin in 1469, and first translated into English in 1601.
Divided into 37 books, it includes descriptions of the state of knowledge on a wide variety of subjects such as medicine, art, zoology, chemistry, and anthropology. It’s an encyclopedic account of the knowledge and lore of the ancient world and is considered by scholars to be one of the first encyclopedias of the western world.
The breadth of the work, along with the depth of its details made it a frequently consulted reference source for scholars until the Renaissance, and it continued to be cited into the nineteenth century.
The book is leather-bound and printed on handmade paper. It is 13”x9”x4”, sewn on 6 raised cords with a tightback spine structure. The covers seem to be original but the spine leather is not. Currently, the deteriorated state of the volume prevents us from exhibiting it.
The book has been previously repaired at least twice prior to arriving at the CHP and a conservator estimates the repairs may have been done nearly 200 years ago.
Pliny’s Natural Historie needs your help! It is in need of restoration and is part of the Adopt a Book program at CHP. A conservation assessment indicated that the costs for treatment of the book would total $2,800.
Interested in donating or finding out more about Adopt a Book? Contact us!
