This book examines the massively important contribution of Pliny the Elder (AD 23/4 - 79) to the physical and applied sciences in the early years of imperial Rome. It is based on the results of laboratory experiments which validate many of Pliny's observations, and on a new study of the technical language he created. This book is a significant contribution as a textbook and (essential) reference point for anyone interested in the history of science or Pliny's massive and often neglected work: for making Pliny accessible to scientists, and some of the science accessible to some classicists, Healy deserves much credit.