
Antiquarian books — Valuable Books and Manuscripts

Gaius Pliny Secundus (Latin: Gaius Plinius Secundus), known as Pliny the Elder, was an ancient Roman polymath, writer and statesman.
Pliny came from a wealthy family and was educated in Rome. In military service in Germany, he rose to the rank of cavalry commander, and then returned to Rome and was appointed governor of the province. In addition to public affairs, Pliny was engaged in the study of nature, wrote various scientific works.
His book Natural History has reached our time. This is an encyclopedic work, which became an authority in Europe in scientific matters until the Middle Ages. Natural History has historical significance as one of the greatest literary monuments of classical antiquity. It is still of value to those who wish to gain an insight into first-century Rome from a primary source.
In the year 79 Pliny was appointed by Vispasian to command a fleet in the Bay of Naples, and found himself near Vesuvius at the time of its eruption. He went ashore, where he died as a result of the natural disaster.

Hartmann Schedel was a German humanist, medical scientist, historian and chronicler.
Schedel was the first to compile a world chronicle, the so-called Visual History of the Earth from the Creation of the World to the 1490s, known as Schedelsche Weltchronik (Schedel's World Chronicle). It was published in 1493 in Nuremberg. About 600 woodcuts for this book were created by the artists and engravers Michael Wolgemuth (1434-1519) and Albrecht Dürer (1471-1528). The illustrations depict biblical scenes, family trees, portraits of famous personalities, and fairy tale or legendary creatures. However, the main ones here were maps of the world, Germany and Central Europe.
Hartmann Schedel was one of the first cartographers to use machine printing. He was also a renowned collector of books, artworks and engravings by old masters.