Pliny (ca. A.D. 61-ca. 112), is best known for his elegantly crafted letters to a broad circle of acquaintances covering subjects from business and government affairs to personal observations on subjects of interest to the author. The Aldine edition is the first publication of all ten books of letters. The discovery and publication of the complete manuscript of Pliny, unknown until the beginning of the sixteenth century, was one of the great accomplishments of Aldus's life. As soon as the Aldine edition was published this important and unique manuscript disappeared, probably discarded by the press after the book was produced. Thus the 1508 Aldine Pliny remains crucial today as evidence for the textual tradition of this author.
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Greek and Latin Classics