Epistulae

Books

• 1
  Book 1

  Pliny's first book of letters establishes the genre — polished, literary dispatches on Roman social life, legal practice, and the art of friendship in the imperial age.

  191 lines
• 2
  Book 2

  Letters on villa life, literary patronage, and the eruption of Vesuvius — the younger Pliny establishes himself as Rome's most civilised correspondent.

  193 lines
• 3
  Book 3

  Pliny writes about the death of Martial, his country estates, legal cases, and the ongoing challenge of balancing public duty with literary ambition.

  198 lines
• 4
  Book 4

  Letters on senatorial politics, the correct management of slaves, and Pliny's complicated relationship with literary fame.

  210 lines
• 5
  Book 5

  Pliny writes on education, beneficence, and the responsibilities of wealth, offering a portrait of Roman aristocratic values at their most appealing.

  187 lines
• 6
  Book 6

  The famous letters describing the eruption of Vesuvius and the death of Pliny's uncle anchor this book of otherwise literary and social correspondence.

  224 lines
• 7
  Book 7

  Pliny writes about haunted houses, senatorial debates, and the difficulty of finding honest servants — Roman life in all its variety.

  208 lines
• 8
  Book 8

  Letters on judicial proceedings, literary criticism, and the delicate art of praising the emperor without losing one's dignity.

  157 lines
• 9
  Book 9

  Pliny reflects on mortality, the nature of true generosity, and the challenge of living well in an empire ruled by one man.

  169 lines
• 10
  Book 10

  The correspondence with Trajan from Bithynia — including the famous exchange about how to deal with Christians — reveals the mechanics of Roman provincial government.

  265 lines