Marcus Terentius Varro (116 BC – 27 BC), was a Roman scholar who wrote more than 400 pieces in his lifetime. Cicero and St. Augustine of Hippo called him “the most learned of all the Romans.”

Varro wrote on all topics from poetry and prose, to Roman history and antiquity, to technical works including philosophy, grammar, the history and theory of language, rhetoric, law, arithmetic, astronomy, mensuration, geography, agriculture, beekeeping and naval tactics.

Hey, he even anticipated microbiology and epidemiology, when he warned people to avoid swamps and marshland, because these areas “breed certain minute creatures which cannot be seen by the eyes, but which float in the air and enter the body through the mouth and nose and cause serious diseases.” (Mayor, Adrienne. Greek Fire, Poison Arrows, and Scorpion Bombs: Biological and Chemical Warfare in the Ancient World. New York, Overlook Duckworth, 2003; p. 114.)

But wait, that’s not all –

Varro John Clarke, Jr. (1935-present ) is my dad. He knows something about absolutely everything. He can finish the New York Times Sunday Crossword puzzle before lunch. He can carry on a conversation about anything with anyone. How can so much information be in one person’s head??

Just like the mighty oak grows from a small acorn…
     And big things come in small packages…
          VarroBook – Interpretive flip-book system - Big knowledge – little space.