Gaius Plinius Secundus, or Pliny the Elder, was a Roman officer and author of Natural History, the first published encyclopedia of the natural world. Pliny was born around A.D. 23 in the region in Italy known then as Gallia Transpadana. Not much is known about his early life or his family, except that his father apparently was very affluent, which allowed Pliny to study and attend school. Like all young men of his time, he entered the military, leaving home at age 21 and traveling to Gallia Belgica. Since he was from an affluent background, he naturally ascended to the rank of officer, serving in Germania Inferior, or Lower Germany. His military career provided him with plenty of personal adventures, but it also endowed him with an appreciation for the human and natural worlds. He observed a great deal and read even more. After years of culling data from a variety of sources, he composed his Natural History.
For over a thousand years, Pliny’s work was considered to be an authoritative compendium of human knowledge. While Pliny only knew the world from his own experiences, Natural History is proof what an ambitious, curious and educated mind can accomplish. The Folio Society is selling the complete Natural History at a discounted rate for members. This is somewhat ironic, considering that Encyclopedia Britannica recently announced that it will cease producing its paper volume set. But, for those of us who’ve adapted to the electronic age without getting addicted to it, the Folio Society announcement is priceless. I have several Folio-produced books and can say with all honesty and total bias that Kindle has nothing on them.
Chief Writing Wolf 