Pliny the Younger, Epistulae 7.20, 9.3, 9.23, 9.36

The letters of Pliny the Younger give us a remarkable window into the daily life of a wealthy Roman at the peak of the Empire. With the four letters in this selection, we witness Pliny’s daily activities—his routine, speeches argued before the courts, dinners, outings to the racetrack. At the same time, we get a glimpse into his psyche: despite his consistently upbeat tone, he is clearly troubled by one question: “How will I be remembered by posterity?” Pliny’s style is casual yet polished; influenced by Cicero in his literary art, yet easygoing, like a letter to a friend should be.

This reader includes several appendices, including:

A translation of two more of Pliny’s letters

Letters on similar themes from other famous authors: Ernest Hemingway, Maya Angelou, Herman Melville, Benjamin Franklin, Franz Kafka, and more

See the about page for more information about this series based on the IB companion texts.

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Full version ✅ Facing vocabulary on each page ✅ A glossary of common words found in the passage ✅ Notes on linguistic, literary, historical, and cultural details ✅ Questions for comprehension, literary analysis, and discussion ✅ Appendices for additional reading	Macrons	No Macrons
AP* vocab version ✅ Facing vocabulary on each page ❌ A glossary of common words found in the passage ✅ Notes on linguistic, literary, historical, and cultural details ✅ Questions for comprehension, literary analysis, and discussion ✅ Appendices for additional reading	Macrons	No Macrons
No-vocab version (recommended for IB*) ❌ Facing vocabulary on each page ❌ A glossary of common words found in the passage ✅ Notes on linguistic, literary, historical, and cultural details ✅ Questions for comprehension, literary analysis, and discussion ✅ Appendices for additional reading	Macrons	No Macrons
Notebook version Contains just the extract, with no vocabulary, notes, questions, or appendices.	Macrons	No Macrons