The Historie of the World; Commonly Called, the Naturall Historie of C. Plinius Secundus [...]

London: Adam Islip, 1601. First Edition. Good. Folio. 2 vols. in 1. [60], 614, [42], [12], 632, [86]. First edition in English of Pliny’s important encyclopedic work, which was, for centuries, considered the highest authority on subjects relating to the natural and physical world, including botany, zoology, geography, pharmacology, and more. Lowndes referred to this translation as a "work of immense labour, and what few men of his time could have executed in a superior manner to Dr. Holland." Near contemporary half brown calf over marbled boards, black gilt morocco lettering labels, spine lettered and ruled in gilt, wear to binding and joints, ink notations throughout, especially to front blank and title-page, ownership signatures on title, page 9 of vol. I, and page 4 of vol. II, as well as some ink markings to the woodcut devices on the first few leaves of vol. I and the final leaf in vol. II. This is a huge book for 1601 and copies with missing, or duplicated, or misbound leaves are seen with more frequency than slimmer books or later ones. This one has the complete text and prelims, and it has the often missing errata, after the Preface in vol. I, and at the end of vol. II, though it is not without its faults. B iii and B iv in vol. II are chipped at the margins, just touching the marginal citations, these two leaves may be supplied, imissing Ppp (index vol/ 2), there is creasing to the first few and last few leaves, and minor insect damage near the end of volume II, but withal it is a good, textually complete copy. Pliny's encyclopedic work functioned for centuries as the highest authority on subjects relating to the natural and physical world, including botany, zoology, geography, pharmacology, and numerous other disciplines. Completed around 77-79 CE, the “Natural History” synthesized Greek and Roman knowledge within a single comprehensive framework, drawing from nearly 500 sources to create what became arguably the most influential scientific text of the pre-modern period.

Philemon Holland's 1601 translation brought Pliny's comprehensive compilation to English readers for the first time. Lowndes characterized this as a "work of immense labour, and what few men of his time could have executed in a superior manner." Holland's scholarly approach preserved the technical vocabulary while rendering complex concepts accessible to readers lacking classical training.

Pliny himself embodied the Roman aristocratic ideal of combining administrative service with intellectual pursuit. Gaius Plinius Secundus served as Vespasian's admiral while compiling his vast encyclopedia, demonstrating the integration of practical governance and scholarly endeavor characteristic of the Roman elite. His death during the Vesuvius eruption of 79 CE (killed by ash inhalation while investigating the catastrophe) exemplifies the empirical curiosity that drove his encyclopedic project.