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Pepys's Later Diaries
Pepys never resumed the personal Diary which he abandoned in 1669 fearing he was going blind. He was one of the greatest accidental historians, never intending to record for posterity, but for amusement. This book makes these diaries available to the general reader. These documents enhance the picture of Pepys as a politician and civil servant.
290 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 1, 2004
17 people want to read
About the author
Samuel Pepys
996 books73 followersSamuel 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').
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').
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
November 28, 2013
A fascinating read and also a totally different kind of writing style in comparison to the main diaries, these are more journalistic and documented entries relating to the navy, government and Tangier.
I personally found the section on his old employee James interesting as it documents a complete turnaround with James backtracking on evidence he had given against Pepys when he finds out he is dying and his conscience is troubling him as to the truth, the Tangier journal was also interesting and documented his journey and subsequent destruction of the Tangier garrison and the "mole."
The section on the Brook house journal and the King's bench journal was quite prosy and "legalese" in writing style as it was more to do with the commission, the navy etc so obviously the whole tone and style was a total shock in comparison with his diaries he is famous for, in writing and narrative style due to the nature of the information involved it is the antithesis of his usual carefree and candid accounts that everyone knows and associates with him.
Overall a great read and of interest to anyone who wants to delve even deeper than just the 1660 - '69 diaries but if you are interested in the period and him as a person I would suggest reading the diary first as being completely honest they are a more enjoyable read due to the fact that these later entries were not an exactly happy period in his professional and personal life and his diaries by their nature are more alive and vital whereas these deal with more serious matters and have a more sombre aspect.
If reading this book first the reader is not reading his writings in chronological order to be able to compare accurately the periods described in both diary and these journal entries apart from the fact that this book can be at times so "heavy" in subject matter it might deter a more casual reader from even attempting the diaries as naturally one would assume this is his usual narrative style.
Definitely worth reading though as background information.
I personally found the section on his old employee James interesting as it documents a complete turnaround with James backtracking on evidence he had given against Pepys when he finds out he is dying and his conscience is troubling him as to the truth, the Tangier journal was also interesting and documented his journey and subsequent destruction of the Tangier garrison and the "mole."
The section on the Brook house journal and the King's bench journal was quite prosy and "legalese" in writing style as it was more to do with the commission, the navy etc so obviously the whole tone and style was a total shock in comparison with his diaries he is famous for, in writing and narrative style due to the nature of the information involved it is the antithesis of his usual carefree and candid accounts that everyone knows and associates with him.
Overall a great read and of interest to anyone who wants to delve even deeper than just the 1660 - '69 diaries but if you are interested in the period and him as a person I would suggest reading the diary first as being completely honest they are a more enjoyable read due to the fact that these later entries were not an exactly happy period in his professional and personal life and his diaries by their nature are more alive and vital whereas these deal with more serious matters and have a more sombre aspect.
If reading this book first the reader is not reading his writings in chronological order to be able to compare accurately the periods described in both diary and these journal entries apart from the fact that this book can be at times so "heavy" in subject matter it might deter a more casual reader from even attempting the diaries as naturally one would assume this is his usual narrative style.
Definitely worth reading though as background information.
Displaying 1 of 1 review