Samuel Pepys The Diaries

by Samuel Pepys, Kate Loveman (Editor)

When Samuel Pepys (1633–1703) began writing in 1660 he was a young clerk living in London, struggling to pay his rent. Over the next nine years as he kept his journal, he rose to be a powerful naval administrator. He became eyewitness to some of the most significant events in seventeenth-century English history, among them, the Restoration of the monarchy in 1660 (he was in the ship that brought back Charles II from exile), the plague that ravaged the capital in 1665, and the Great Fire of 1666, described with poetry and horror. Pepys's diary gives vivid descriptions of spectacular events, but much of the richness of the diary lies in the details it provides about the minor dramas of daily life. While Pepys was keen to hear the King's views, he was also ready to talk with a soldier, a housekeeper, or a child rag-picker. He records with searing frankness his tumultuous personal and professional the pleasures and frustrations of his marriage, together with his infidelities, his ambitions, and his power schemes. All of this was set down in shorthand, to protect it from prying eyes. The result is a lively, often astonishing, diary and an unrivalled account of life in seventeenth-century London.

Genres: Nonfiction

712 pages, Hardcover

Published October 4, 2018

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

[Rebecca]

A rare privilege to be allowed an intimate look into a life lived in mid-1600's London. Along with his personal thoughts and occasionally unscrupulous sexual dalliances, Pepys records details of the Great Plague of London in 1665-6 followed by the London Fire of 1666. It was also a time of governmental disorder and public disaffection with the restoration of the monarchy with Charles II, who was a terrible spendthrift and womanizer, and the mishandlings of the English-Dutch war. Pepys was a mid-level administrator in supplying the Navy with goods and helping to impress seamen (a distasteful task to him) and he gives an inside view to the frustrations of trying to keep the Navy properly outfitted by parliamentary budgeting during a time of mistrust that the king would just turn around and spend it on his mistresses and social gatherings.

A unique read. Highly recommended for anyone interested in an in-depth examination of London life in the 17th century.

[Thomas]

Great historical glimpse into English society and culture not so very long after Shakespeare. As secretary to prestigious politicians, Pepys was valued for his government service. He had so many girlfriends on the side I lost track, but when his wife caught on, there was hell to pay. Amazing 1st person account of the 1666 London fire.