DIARY OF SAMUEL PEPYS, VOLUME II

by Samuel Pepys

The Diary of Samuel Pepys is one of the most entertaining documents in English history. Written between 1660 and 1669, as Pepys was establishing himself as a key administrator in the naval office, it is an intimate portrait of life in 17th-century England covering his professional and personal activities, including, famously, his love of music, theatre, food, wine and his peccadilloes. This Naxos AudioBooks production is the world premiere recording of the diary in its entirety. It has been divided into three volumes. Volume II covers some of the most famous passages in the diary. Pepys was there, in London, during the terrible Plague of 1665. And he was there during the Great Fire of London the following year, playing an active role in the actual event and the aftermath.

Genres: History, Memoir

Hardcover

First published October 20, 1994

About the author

Samuel Pepys was an English naval administrator and Member of Parliament, who is now most famous for his diary. Although Pepys had no maritime experience, he rose by patronage, hard work and his talent for administration, to be the Chief Secretary to the Admiralty under King James II. His influence and reforms at the Admiralty were important in the early professionalization of the Royal Navy.

The detailed private diary he kept during 1660–1669 was first published in the nineteenth century, and is one of the most important primary sources for the English Restoration period. It provides a combination of personal revelation and eyewitness accounts of great events, such as the Great Plague of London, the Second Dutch War and the Great Fire of London.

His surname is usually pronounced /'pi:ps/ ('peeps').

Reviews

[Knut Sigurd]

Ein blir jo frykteleg godt kjent med han, på godt og vondt. Han er ofte morosam, ikkje minst i samband med teaterbesøka og når han karakteriserer fiendar. Kvardagslivet under pestutbrottet i 1665 skildrar han som berre ein dagbokskrivar kan, og iallfall eg fekk klumpen i halsen når han fleire månader etter brannen i 1666 fortel at han søv dårleg pga mareritt om brann og samanraste hus. Diverre er det etterlatne inntrykket at han er ein gris som utnyttar meir og mindre forsvarslause kvinner som kjem til han for å få hjelp. At han skriv om dette i kokett spansk/fransk kode gjer det litt kvalmare. I dag ville han sikkert sendt dickpics i aust og vest.