Selections from Pliny's Letters Book

Stupendous! This book is a gem! Oh, how much I enjoyed this book! I have added some fragments toward the end of my review, each one listed under the number of the book in which it was published. Some of my favourite letters are those he sent to his wife Calpurnia; he was a loving husband. I always enjoyed his exchanges with Tacitus, Suetonius, Calpurnius Fabatus, Voconius Romanus, and Emperor Trajan, among others, but it will be too long to mention all my favourites here. There is too much to choose from to even quote it fairly. Even if some letters may bore you, as a whole this book is an phenomenal compilation of letter, which provide great insight into Pliny's life, his ethos and work, Roman culture, law, society, and the quotidian lives of the wealthy Roman scholars, noble women, and public servants.


Pliny's writing style is engaging, elegant, and eloquent. Eloquence is something that Pliny strives to achieve, you will see this word often in his letters, but first and foremost he admires a writer who is of good character and who is willing to work for the benefit of the community. Pliny is a hard-worker, he is confident but he is not arrogant, he simply doesn't show false modesty. As a writer, public servant, human being, and Roman figure, Pliny is truly outstanding and has deservingly won his place in history. Obviously, Pliny is flawed - who isn't?- and although he comes across as a genuinely generous man, of strong ethical values, a man who is always trying to improve himself, help people, friends, his slaves and his freedman; in his treatment of Christians Pliny showed scarce judgement and even cruelty. This is evident in book Ten; in his letters to emperor Trajan when even Trajan showed more empathy towards Christians than Pliny did at that stage. I, however, do not want to apply current standards or 'presentism', to criticise the character of a person who lived in ancient Rome. That would be unfair for much has changed in the World since then. Furthermore, Pliny was a brilliant scholar and he was also a great man in almost all areas of his life. Pliny was a good man then, and he would probably be an even better man now, if he lived in modern times. What I admire most in Pliny is his loyalty toward his friends, his great respect and admiration for women, his belief of giving good treatment to slaves - he also had freedmen whom he respected and cared for, and his desires to improve himself in all levels, he was tenacious. What makes this book even more captivating is that poured his soul into his letters! They really capture the essence of Pliny's character and whole self.


Pliny was a very sociable person, he was beloved by many and due to his character he built strong relationships with the family of his ex mother-in law, who even shared her wealth with him. In my opinion, that speaks volumes of Pliny. I have therefore chosen some fragments of a few of his letters, fragments which I believe evidence several of his qualities. These are not necessarily my favourite fragments, but I think these particular fragments may appeal to those readers who are considering acquiring this book and may help refresh the memories of those readers who have already read the book previously and would like to know about how other readers feel about Pliny's letters. Is one of your favourite fragments or letters, here?

A final comment before I add some fragments. The book I have has all ten books written by Pliny. My copy is the Penguin Classics paperback, which is frankly not the best format to read as it can be crammed; the font size is not big enough for my taste, but it does the job. As a result, I intend to buy the book in hardcover, and in a larger and more expensive version, this believe it is a good investment for I am certain that in a better format I would enjoy the book far more when I read it again. I apologise in advance for any typographical/syntax errors you may encounter when reading my review…but after only four hours of sleep I am exhausted and I do not really feel like editing my review. I am definitely not as meticulous as Pliny. Now, here are the fragments:

Book One
To Cornelius Titianus:
'There is still a sense of loyalty and duty alive in the world, and men whose affections does [sic] not die with their friends'

To Sosius Senecio:
'This year has raised a fine crop of poets; there was scarcely a day throughout the month of April when someone was not giving a public reading. I am glad to see that literature flourishes and there is a show of budding talent, in spite of the fact that people are slow to form an audience.'

Book Two
To Lupercus:
' I hope that you will understand by this not that I believe that I have achieved my aim, but that I have tried to do so…'

Book Three:
To Catilius Severus:
'I will come to dinner, but only on the condition that it is simple and informal, rich only in Socratic conversation, though this too must be kept within bounds, for there will be early-morning callers to think of….. But our dinner must have a limit, in time as well as in preparations and expense; for we are not the sort of people whom even our enemies cannot blame without a word of praise'

Book Four
To Calpurnia Hispulla:
'You are a model of family affection, and loved your excellent and devoted brother as dearly as he loved you; you love his daughter as if she were your own, and, by filling the place of the father she lost, you are more than an aunt to her… You always foretold that I should become the man I am now in the eyes of my wife. Please accept our united thanks for having given her to me and me to her as if chosen for each one'

Book Five
To Titinius Capito:
'Your suggestion that I should write history has often been made, for a good many people have given me the same advice. I like the idea: not that I feel at all sure of being successful- it would be rash in an amateur- but because the saving of those who deserve immortality from sinking into oblivion, and spreading the fame or others along one's own, seem to me a particularly splendid achievement….So day and night I wonder if 'I too may rise from earth'.

To Arrius Antoninus:
'It is only when I try to imitate your verse that I fully realise its excellence, for my halting efforts fall short of the original just as an artist's copy can never be more than a poorer version of a wholly beautiful model. That is why I urge you to produce as much as possible for all of us to try to emulate even though none or very few will be successful.'

Book Six
To his wife Calpurnia:
'You say that you are feeling my absence very much, and your only comfort when I am not there is to hold my writings in your hand and often put them in my place by your side. I like to think that you miss me and find relief in this sort of consolation. I, too, am always reading your letters, and returning to them again and again as if they were new to me- but this only fans the fire of my longing for you. If your letters are so dear to me, you can imagine how I delight in your company; do write as often as you can, although you give me pleasure mingled with pain.'

To Caninius Rufus:
'I am an admirer of the ancients, but, not like some people, so as to despise the talent of our own times. It is not true that the world is too tired and exhausted to be able to produce anything worth praising: on the contrary, I have just heard Vergilius Romanus reading to a small audience…. I don't know if you know the man, but you certainly ought to, he is remarkable for his moral integrity, his intellectual refinement, and his versatility as an author'

Book Seven:
To Neratius (?) Priscus
'Words cannot express my pleasure on receiving letter after letter from our friend Saturninus, in which he expresses his warmest thanks to you. Go on as you have begun, love this splendid man as much as you can; his friendship will prove a source of long and lasting happiness for he is endowed with all the virtues, not least the gift of unfailing loyalty in his affections'

To Septicius Clarus:
'You say that people have criticized me in your hearing for taking any opportunity for exaggerated praise of my friends. I accept the charge, in fact, I welcome it, for there can be no more honourable fault than warmth of heart. But who are these people who know my friends better than I do myself? And, even if they do, why grudge me happiness in my delusion? My friends may not be all I proclaim them, but it makes me happy to think that they are. Let these people transfer their misplaced attentions to someone else; they will find all too many who think it a sign of good judgement to disparage friends, but they will never persuade me to believe that I love mine too much.'

Book Eight
To Maximus:
'Literature is both my joy and my comfort: it can add to every happiness and there is no sorrow it cannot console. So worried as I am by my wife's ill-health and the sickness of my household and death of some of my servants, I have taken refuge in my work, the only distraction I have in my misery. It may make me more conscious of my troubles but helps me to bear them with patience.'

Book Nine:
To Cornelius Tacitus:
'You are never satisfied with yourself, but I never write with such confidence as when I write about you. Whether posterity will give us a thought I don't know, but surely we deserve one- I don't say for our genius, which sounds like boasting, but for our application, hard work, and regard for future generations. Only let us continue along the path we have chosen; if it lead few to the full light of fame, it brings many out of the shades of obscurity'

Book Ten:
Pliny to the Emperor Trajan:
'Suetonius Tranquillus, Sir, is not only a very fine scholar, but also a man of highest integrity and distinction. I have long admired his character and literary abilities, and since he became my close friend, and I now have an opportunity to have know him intimately, I have learned to value him more.'