The Letters of the Younger Pliny (Penguin Classics) | 
 enlarge | Author: Pliny The Younger
Creator: Betty Radice
Publisher: Penguin Classics
Category: Book
List Price: $15.00
Buy Used: $3.49
You Save: $11.51 (77%)
New (41) Used (26) from $3.49
Avg. Customer Rating:  9 reviews
Sales Rank: 55116
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 320
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.5
Dimensions (in): 7.7 x 5 x 0.9
ISBN: 0140441271
Dewey Decimal Number: 808
EAN: 9780140441277
ASIN: 0140441271
Publication Date: August 30, 1963
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
A prominent lawyer and administrator, Pliny (c. AD 61-113) was also a prolific letter-writer, who numbered among his correspondents such eminent figures as Tacitus, Suetonius and the Emperor Trajan, as well as a wide circle of friends and family. His lively and very personal letters address an astonishing range of topics, from a deeply moving account of his uncle's death in the eruption that engulfed Pompeii, to observations on the early Christians - 'a desperate sort of cult carried to extravagant lengths' - from descriptions of everyday life in Rome, with its scandals and court cases, to Pliny's life in the country.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 4 more reviews...
 The Letters of Plinius Secundus April 21, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
A readable translation of the many letters of one of history's most famous letter writers, and also a good source on his eventful life. Caius Plinius Secundus had correspondence with many of the great men of his time, including Emperor Trajan and the historians Tacitus and Suetonius, and wrote of such fascinating topics as the Dacian Wars, Christians in his province of Bithynia, the excesses of the recently murdered Emperor Domitianus, and various obscure topics from hunting to an alleged haunted house in Greece. A great book for someone, who, like me, likes to read about the Romans from their own pens.
 Great primary source to compare and contrast culture June 16, 2007
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Pliny the Younger (whether he knew it or not) painted quite a detailed picture of culture in his time, and it is quite exciting and entertaining to compare this culture with the cultures of today.
Excellent for Stoics February 17, 2006
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
Pliny the Younger was a disciple of Musonius Rufus, the great Stoic teacher who taught Epictetus. Epictetus wrote discourses which influenced Emperor Marcus Aurelius. A reading of Pliny the Younger will shed light on Stoic thoughts.
Life from near the top during Rome's golden age September 16, 2004
9 out of 9 found this review helpful
Pliny's self-selected letters comprise a fascinating bit of ancient autobiography, and should be of interest to a wide variety of readers. His descriptions of trials, and of his often slimy opposing counsel, will amuse modern attorneys. The letters between Pliny and the Emperor Trajan read much like modern e-mails between a CEO and a diligent corporate manager. I first read Pliny at the same time as the "Meditations" of Marcus Aurelius; the two books provide a striking contrast between two typically Roman world-views -- Pliny wanting nothing so much as posthumous fame, Aurelius musing on the vanity of all earthly pursuits given their utter meaninglessness after we turn to dust.
Ms. Radice's translation is smooth and enjoyable, retaining a certain air of distance given the source's antiquity but not becoming stilted or precious.
Wonderful May 7, 2003
6 out of 7 found this review helpful
Having read the letters of Pliny in the original Latin, I picked up a copy of this book to enjoy at a lesiurely pace (and without the hassel of looking up every 15th word!). I could not have been more pleased with Radice's translation of the work. She brings his stories to life, while maintaining the nuances found in the Latin. Wonderful!!
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