In the words of the publisher, ‘Pliny the Book-Maker is intended as a contribution to the larger re-orientation of Pliny studies, which has been underway in the last fifteen years and looks to shift the focus of analysis from strictly socio-historical data-mining to a literary re-evaluation of Pliny's texts’ (from the back cover). This ‘larger re-orientation’, which stretches beyond English-speaking countries, is evident in two other books on Pliny published in 2015: a monograph by K. Schwerdtner, Plinius und seine Klassiker. Studien zur literarischen Zitation in den Pliniusbriefen and a collection of essays assembled by O. Devillers, Autour de Pline le Jeune: en hommage à Nicole Méthy. Schwerdtner's is a holistic study of Pliny's quotations, which position Pliny's work within the grand tradition of authors who, by his time, had already become ‘classics’. The essays in Autour de Pline le Jeune, which includes Pliny's Panegyric, deal with the political, ideological, cultural and literary contexts for Pliny's work. Within this welcome flourishing of books on Pliny, the volume under review stands out in at least two ways: it has a common theme uniting its diverse contributions and points of view – Pliny's models, strategies and achievements in assembling, editing and publishing his letters as a collection; and it brings together scholars who, starting from the editor, have pioneered and championed this revival of Pliny studies.

The brisk introduction by M. is followed by a thorough essay by J. Bodel, the longest in the volume (pp. 13–108). Pliny famously opens his collection stating that he has gathered some of his letters in no particular order, ‘as each had come to his hands’ (Ep. 1.1). There is no question that this statement must be dismissed as a gesture and that Pliny did not publish his letters randomly. Indeed, he put some thought into the architecture of his work, but scholars disagree both on the date and publication of single letters and on the nature and refinement of their organisation within specific books and within the collection as a whole. Having conducted a rigorous reconsideration of the evidence and of previous hypotheses, Bodel convincingly argues for an artistic, meaningful and coherent organisation of Books 1–9 and advances a new hypothesis for their publication. The conclusions one can draw from this chapter go well beyond this hypothesis (which is conveniently summarised on pp. 103–4). Bodel's analysis of the manuscript tradition and of various collections of poetry and serial editions demonstrates that Pliny had ‘a variety of contemporary or near-contemporary models to which he may turn for inspiration’ (p. 41); and his analysis of the letters themselves proves that Pliny took exquisite care over the organisation of his nine books. In particular, according to the dictates of varietas, Pliny does not follow a strictly chronological order, but groups his letters according to more than one criterion, including style and themes and alternating addresses. Bodel maps many internal correspondences (often previously unnoticed) and subtle plays of foreshadowing, which create a coherent unity within the variety of the nine books. This chapter also provides a general framework and justification for the other four essays, which focus on specific books or themes.

C. Whitton, who has published a magisterial commentary on Pliny, Ep. 2 (2013), returns to this book with a witty and elegant chapter (pp. 109–43). Some evidence suggests that ‘antiquity had more sophisticated means of measuring prose than people nowadays might think’ (p. 120). Specifically, the number of syllables and columns could be counted and marked in order to create symmetrical balances within sentences and within a work structure. Accordingly, Whitton finds some striking symmetries within Pliny's epistles and, in turn, in the grand design of Book 2. These symmetries emphasise recurring themes in a way which was arguably more obvious to ancient readers than it is for us. There is much to commend in this essay and much to gain in accepting the invitation to reconsider the materiality of reading in the ancient world. The evidence from Latin literary papyri, however, might challenge the notion that marking column numbers was standardised practice for prose texts: some readers added some punctuation to their scrolls, and perhaps they also chose to add column numbers, but it does not seem to have been the norm.

R. Morello (pp. 144–84) and R. Gibson (pp. 185–222), who have co-written an important literary study of Pliny's letters (2012), deal with Books 8 and 9. Morello explores how in Book 8 internal and external references craft thematic balances and oppositions: a mix of moods and topics offer and problematise competing points of view, and these oppositions, often highlighted by juxtaposition, engage the reader. As we read the book as a continuum, we are constantly invited not only to reconsider our assumptions and conclusions about previous letters, but especially to revisit our own position in relation to others in a hierarchical society. Gibson engages with some important conclusions by Bodel and reads Book 9 against Books 1 and 6–8. In the collection as a whole beginnings and endings form subtle symmetries, and these symmetries form a narrative. This narrative challenges the widespread perception of Pliny as a (superficial) optimist; in fact, Gibson demonstrates that the ‘revisionist agenda’ of Book 9 creates a general movement from a highly optimistic reflection of Pliny's personality, which shines through the earlier books of the collection, to a highly pessimistic view of politics, which becomes more and more evident towards its end; he also argues that this pessimistic view, which eventually leads to Pliny's retirement from public life, coincides with Trajan's presence in Rome. M.’s contribution (p. 223–52) closes the volume by drawing two stimulating comparisons: the connection between Pliny's description of the architectural features of villas and the architecture of his own literary creation demonstrates that, in both cases, Pliny is frustratingly unwilling to provide details on matters of daily life; his unwillingness stands out thanks to a second comparison, that with Martial's readiness to represent objects of daily life. M. frames the polarity between Pliny and Martial in terms of opposite ways to engage their contemporaries and make a long-lasting appeal to future audiences.

The level of production is high, and equally high (certainly above average) is the cohesiveness of the volume, so that it is a pleasure to see how seriously each author engages with Bodel's main thesis and with the other essays. One may not always agree with all the conclusions, but each contributor should be commended for demonstrating the complexity and beauty of Pliny's collection, for proposing fresh arguments and for acknowledging when a formulated hypothesis goes beyond what can be demonstrated.