COMPLETE: Letters of Pliny by Pliny the Younger-choc

[English Andrew]

Letters of Pliny by Pliny the Younger (61 - ca. 112). Translated by William Melmoth (1710 - 1799) and others

This project is complete! All audio files can be found on our catalog page: https://librivox.org/letters-of-pliny-by-pliny-the-younger/

The largest surviving body of Pliny's work is his Epistulae (Letters), a series of personal missives directed to his friends, associates and the Emperor Trajan. These letters are a unique testimony of Roman administrative history and everyday life in the 1st century CE. Especially noteworthy among the letters are two in which he describes the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in August 79, during which his uncle Pliny the Elder died (Section 10 in this recording), and one in which he asks the Emperor for instructions regarding official policy concerning Christians (Section 21 in this recording). Other letters include ghost stories, a tale of a dolphin, descriptions of Pliny's villas, and Pliny's opinions on legacy-hunting, the treatment of servants and the decline in respect for orators. (Wikipedia revised by Andrew Coleman)

• Text source (only read from this text!): http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/2811
• Type of proof-listening required (Note: please read the PL FAQ): wordperfect
  
  
  
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  BC Admin
  
• The reader will record the following at the beginning and end of each file:
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• Example filename lettersofpliny_##_plinytheyounger_128kb.mp3 (all lower-case) where ## is the section number (e.g. lettersofpliny_01_plinytheyounger_128kb.mp3)
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  Title: ## - [Section title]
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  Any questions?
  Please post below

[Leni]

What a joy that you will be reading those! I thought about reading them more than once, but never actually got to it. I am so glad someone else will!

I can MC this for you, as well. Be back soon with the MW.

[Leni]

MW up, let me know if it looks good and if I can help in any way.

[English Andrew]

Dear Leni,
Thank you very much for agreeing to help. I was surprised to find nobody had done Pliny’s Letters before. I read them at school and loved them.

I don’t know exactly how many sections there will be but I’m assuming the number can be adjusted once the project is underway.

I would like to re-word slightly the things said at the start and end of the sections, if that’s OK. I would like to use the word “Section” rather than “Chapter”, and use the phrase “Translated by William Melmoth, revised by FCT Bosanquet” rather than “Translated by William Melmoth (1710 - 1799) and others”. Is that all right?

Andrew

[MARTIN GEESON]

Hi

I'd happily be DPL on the project.

I also studied these at school, along with Juvenal and Tacitus. So pleased to re-encounter them.

Best wishes
Martin

[Leni]

Hi, Andrew

Yes, certainly, please do reword the intros. I suggest you actually change it in the first post, to match what you will be reading, to make it easier for the PLer to check. And you can just let me know whenever you need sections added/ removed.

I added Martin as DPLer (always great to work with you, Martin!), and I am moving this thread to Going Solo!

[English Andrew]

Delighted to be working with Leni, and to have Martin as my DPL again. Here are the Introduction and Letters 1 to 7:
https://librivox.org/uploads/leni/lettersofpliny_00_plinytheyounger_128kb.mp3 5.26 MB 5.45 mins.
https://librivox.org/uploads/leni/lettersofpliny_01_plinytheyounger_128kb.mp3 29.4 MB 32.08 mins.

[Leni]

Hi, Andrew!

Do you have access to the window?

[English Andrew]

No. How do I access it?

[MARTIN GEESON]

Hi Andrew

Both sections are PL all OK; levels OK, etc. - Coming after your Proust marathon, Pliny's silver-age eloquence must be rather restful?

I instantly sympathise with him when he writes of "indulging my beloved inactivity".

Best
Martin

ETA - Leni, I have filled in the MW, in case Andrew does not yet have his entry rights.

[Leni]

No. How do I access it?

Hi, Andrew

Sending you instruction by private message right now.

[English Andrew]

When I click on the BC button below the Magic Window it comes up with a message telling me I do not have the authority to do that. How do I login after the first time to alter the Magic Window?

Anyway, here are the next two sections:
https://librivox.org/uploads/leni/lettersofpliny_02_plinytheyounger_128kb.mp3 32.9MB 35.56 mins
https://librivox.org/uploads/leni/lettersofpliny_03_plinytheyounger_128kb.mp3 27.8MB 30.25 mins.

It includes a tribute to Verginius Rufus, a man who deserves a historical novel. He came really close to becoming Emperor in the crisis following Nero's death, chose not to but still survived to die a natural death!

[English Andrew]

I tried logging in to the Magic Window on a different computer and it worked, although it took so long saying it was saving that I gave up and came out of the screen. I then had a look at the project screen and it had saved. At least it worked!

[MARTIN GEESON]

Hi
Section 2 and 3 both word-perfectly PL OK, and very entertaining to boot.

He very properly castigates the citizens who don't appreciate the delightful luxury of being read-aloud to.

Best wishes
Martin

[English Andrew]

Two more sections for you:
https://librivox.org/uploads/leni/lettersofpliny_04_plinytheyounger_128kb.mp3 27.8 MB 30.24 mins
https://librivox.org/uploads/leni/lettersofpliny_05_plinytheyounger_128kb.mp3 27.8 MB 30.27 mins.