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The Illustrated Pepys: Extracts from the Diary
Illustrated version of selected passages from Pepys' diary between 1660 and 1669, showing his robust enjoyment of both his public and private lives
240 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1669
13 people are currently reading
149 people want to read
About the author
Samuel Pepys
1,000 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 - 21 of 21 reviews
August 5, 2012
Loved it! What a dirty, cheating little man. Every time he slips into French, Italian or Latin, you just know he's had a sneaky encoutner with a woman who isn't his long-suffering wife! Typcially, she becomes a little friendly with her dance teacher and Sam's on the rampage! Really conjours up late C17th London. Great fun.
January 8, 2022
Subtitled, Extracts from the Diary, this is a selection of Pepys’s diary entries over the years 1660 to 1669, when his eyesight deteriorated to such an extent that he could no longer spend the time needed to write in secret by candlelight. There is a useful introduction by the editor, explaining the way he has approached the text, and providing some background history to the narrative contained in the diary.
The language is, of course, of its time and therefore not always easy to follow. English was still developing in the 17th century and conventions now familiar to us were not yet standard. Also, some words meant different things from our current understanding. One further obstruction to full understanding stems from the editor’s decision to stick to Pepys’s peculiar habit of describing his many sexual and amorous adventures in a mix of languages. Having had the text translated into English from its original shorthand, the failure to continue this translation in those passages containing French, Italian, Spanish, and Latin, sometimes all four within a single sentence, seems oddly coy. But perhaps this reticence reflects the sensitivities of the academic mind, who knows?
The fact that Pepys never intended, nor expected, the diary to be published allowed him to be relatively honest. I say ‘relatively’ because he was clearly not very self-aware and there are passages where today’s reader will be surprised by the callousness and indifference toward the suffering of others, sometimes at the hands of Pepys himself, evident on the page. On the other hand, he is honest enough to give details of his somewhat selfish attitude to his money, which is most probably an indication of the male point of view at the time. His attitude to his wife’s need for clothes in particular is illustrated by his frequent outlay of sums around £70.00 on a single garment for himself contrasted with his niggardly annual allowance of £20.00 for his wife’s entire wardrobe!
He lived in turbulent times, including the somewhat questionable restoration of the Monarchy through Charles II, a return of the Black Death, the Great Fire of London, and three wars against the Dutch. His role, a sort of equivalent to a modern-day civil service supremo, in dealing with Naval affairs, seems ill-defined and slightly chaotic, but he reports his disquiet over many of his fellow-workers and his appreciation of the compliments he received for his own work.
It's clear he was sexually active, one might say over-active. And, although it is not made obvious in his accounts of his many affairs, the prevalent attitude to women as objects of desire for the enjoyment of men does seep through. It’s obvious he appreciated the services he received from the women he desired, but how willing or eager they were to participate is not entirely clear. He, of course, gives the impression they were all willing partners, but the attitude to sex at the time was one of a necessary compliance by women, especially when it involved a man of a higher social class, so it’s impossible to know how much of his activity was in reality a form of rape. Though he does generally report the delight of his paramours. Whether this is an accurate view or one filtered through the societal mores of the time and his own lack of self-awareness isn’t clear.
On the academic side, he gained a BA at university, and showed an interest in many scientific aspects of life at a time when such things were becoming more actively explored. Some of the devices and scientific theories of the time he understood, but others, while of interest, baffled him. He counted himself a mathematician and a good, if poorly disciplined, accountant.
The overall impression of the man is that he was in many ways typical of his times. Although he had serious doubts about the behaviour and extravagance of Charles II, he was delighted that the King knew his name and even deigned to converse with him from time to time. He mixed with nobility frequently both socially and professionally. He showed an appreciation of art, the theatre, literature, and architecture. And he was an accomplished musician, with a good knowledge of the music around at the time. So, something of a polymath, but with limited understanding in some areas. He was ambitious, fond of money and status, a social climber, and, apparently, a good orator and writer. Though, as we learn about him only from his own words and those he chose to record from conversations he had with others, we cannot depend on that assessment alone.
What this book does best, however, is to provide insights into the way people thought at the time, how they lived, what they valued, what deprivation some suffered. It was an uncertain age, when a person could fall from wealth to penury almost overnight, when the wrong thing said to the wrong person could result in imprisonment or even execution, when the gap between the poor and the wealthy was wide, a little like it is today.
The diary is one of many books used to educate the elites that now rule the UK, and its influence on their thinking is evident in the way some of them currently behave. The law of the jungle, barely disguised by the shallow veil of hypocrisy and religious adherence, still rules. The only difference today is the ready availability of fact and counter argument to those willing to seek it.
If anything, this is a book that should be read with a real awareness of the history that created it and that now may be used by the unscrupulous to manipulate young minds into a way of thinking that is decidedly antipathetic to the benefits of most people.
It made me laugh out loud at times, brought tears to my eyes at others, outraged me, entertained, educated, and informed me. If you risk reading it, I hope it does as much for you.
The language is, of course, of its time and therefore not always easy to follow. English was still developing in the 17th century and conventions now familiar to us were not yet standard. Also, some words meant different things from our current understanding. One further obstruction to full understanding stems from the editor’s decision to stick to Pepys’s peculiar habit of describing his many sexual and amorous adventures in a mix of languages. Having had the text translated into English from its original shorthand, the failure to continue this translation in those passages containing French, Italian, Spanish, and Latin, sometimes all four within a single sentence, seems oddly coy. But perhaps this reticence reflects the sensitivities of the academic mind, who knows?
The fact that Pepys never intended, nor expected, the diary to be published allowed him to be relatively honest. I say ‘relatively’ because he was clearly not very self-aware and there are passages where today’s reader will be surprised by the callousness and indifference toward the suffering of others, sometimes at the hands of Pepys himself, evident on the page. On the other hand, he is honest enough to give details of his somewhat selfish attitude to his money, which is most probably an indication of the male point of view at the time. His attitude to his wife’s need for clothes in particular is illustrated by his frequent outlay of sums around £70.00 on a single garment for himself contrasted with his niggardly annual allowance of £20.00 for his wife’s entire wardrobe!
He lived in turbulent times, including the somewhat questionable restoration of the Monarchy through Charles II, a return of the Black Death, the Great Fire of London, and three wars against the Dutch. His role, a sort of equivalent to a modern-day civil service supremo, in dealing with Naval affairs, seems ill-defined and slightly chaotic, but he reports his disquiet over many of his fellow-workers and his appreciation of the compliments he received for his own work.
It's clear he was sexually active, one might say over-active. And, although it is not made obvious in his accounts of his many affairs, the prevalent attitude to women as objects of desire for the enjoyment of men does seep through. It’s obvious he appreciated the services he received from the women he desired, but how willing or eager they were to participate is not entirely clear. He, of course, gives the impression they were all willing partners, but the attitude to sex at the time was one of a necessary compliance by women, especially when it involved a man of a higher social class, so it’s impossible to know how much of his activity was in reality a form of rape. Though he does generally report the delight of his paramours. Whether this is an accurate view or one filtered through the societal mores of the time and his own lack of self-awareness isn’t clear.
On the academic side, he gained a BA at university, and showed an interest in many scientific aspects of life at a time when such things were becoming more actively explored. Some of the devices and scientific theories of the time he understood, but others, while of interest, baffled him. He counted himself a mathematician and a good, if poorly disciplined, accountant.
The overall impression of the man is that he was in many ways typical of his times. Although he had serious doubts about the behaviour and extravagance of Charles II, he was delighted that the King knew his name and even deigned to converse with him from time to time. He mixed with nobility frequently both socially and professionally. He showed an appreciation of art, the theatre, literature, and architecture. And he was an accomplished musician, with a good knowledge of the music around at the time. So, something of a polymath, but with limited understanding in some areas. He was ambitious, fond of money and status, a social climber, and, apparently, a good orator and writer. Though, as we learn about him only from his own words and those he chose to record from conversations he had with others, we cannot depend on that assessment alone.
What this book does best, however, is to provide insights into the way people thought at the time, how they lived, what they valued, what deprivation some suffered. It was an uncertain age, when a person could fall from wealth to penury almost overnight, when the wrong thing said to the wrong person could result in imprisonment or even execution, when the gap between the poor and the wealthy was wide, a little like it is today.
The diary is one of many books used to educate the elites that now rule the UK, and its influence on their thinking is evident in the way some of them currently behave. The law of the jungle, barely disguised by the shallow veil of hypocrisy and religious adherence, still rules. The only difference today is the ready availability of fact and counter argument to those willing to seek it.
If anything, this is a book that should be read with a real awareness of the history that created it and that now may be used by the unscrupulous to manipulate young minds into a way of thinking that is decidedly antipathetic to the benefits of most people.
It made me laugh out loud at times, brought tears to my eyes at others, outraged me, entertained, educated, and informed me. If you risk reading it, I hope it does as much for you.
September 16, 2021
Reading a first persons perspective of a Black Plague outbreak or the great London fire is interesting, as are the descriptions of the lives and common beliefs of the people of the times; but for me the best part of the book was the gossip. William Penn for instance: his cheapness; his dreaded awful dinner parties; his occasional habit of emptying his shit pot near Pepys front door. It didn’t stop them from being friends, but the way Pepys mutters to his diary about it was very funny. “ William Penn served a venison tart that stank like the devil” .
I found myself laughing out loud several times while reading this book.
Also must mention the art. I hadn’t expected much but the art is spot on. It’s the exact people, places and usually painted or etched in the 1660’s.
Worst thing about this diary is that it doesn’t go on for another twenty years.
I found myself laughing out loud several times while reading this book.
Also must mention the art. I hadn’t expected much but the art is spot on. It’s the exact people, places and usually painted or etched in the 1660’s.
Worst thing about this diary is that it doesn’t go on for another twenty years.
December 6, 2012
Pepys' diary only covers 9.5 years, from 1st January 1660 when he was 26, to 31st May 1669 when he was having so much trouble with his eyes that he decided he couldn't write any more, but it still amounts to 9 volumes in the complete edition. That makes this edition perfect for anybody who wouldn't want to read the whole diary but wants to get a flavour of Pepys's life and times.
The great thing about Pepys is the way that he mixes the politics of his work with remarkably open confessions about the vagaries of his private life. He was an administrator for the Navy, and since the English were at war with the Dutch for some of this time, and the war was fought mostly at sea, he was often in contact with King Charles II and his closest advisers. The day that he is able to report (with great pride) that the King knows his name comes fairly early in the diary. He loves life too, and says more than once that the only reason for prospering is so that one can enjoy being 'merry' - which for him means having friends round for dinner, music, dancing and hilarity.
The diary is probably best known for its eye-witness description of the great fire of London in September 1666, and Pepys's frankness about his extramarital affairs which are briefly recounted in a bizarre mixture of English, French and Spanish (although the diary was already written in shorthand for privacy). His attitude to his sins is very endearing: he obviously loves his 'poor wife' as he calls her, and is genuinely remorseful of his unfaithfulness: virtually every New Year he makes a resolution to have nothing more to do with his other women, but it usually only lasts a week or so before he's once again chasing after some actress, wife of a subordinate or one of the maids in his own household.
One thing I didn't realise before (and found rather shocking) was that the women were not always willing, at least in the early days. He would struggle with them and once reports having badly sprained his hand subduing a woman who put up a fight. On the other hand, he doesn't necessarily go 'all the way', but is often satisfied with kissing and fondling them. When one maid is dismissed after he has been cavorting with her for several months, he reports with regret that he did not 'have her maidenhead' - although perhaps that was just for lack of opportunity!
This is a lovely edition with 16 full-page colour photographs of portraits and cityscape paintings, and many more line drawings of buildings and contemporary scenes that help the reader to imagine what Pepys was seeing.
The only downside of this edition is that there are no footnotes. Occasionally the editors insert a few lines to explain something about an event or person, but there's no translation of the foreign or obsolete words that Pepys uses. This does make it flow much better of course but you have to accept that you might not understand every word.
The great thing about Pepys is the way that he mixes the politics of his work with remarkably open confessions about the vagaries of his private life. He was an administrator for the Navy, and since the English were at war with the Dutch for some of this time, and the war was fought mostly at sea, he was often in contact with King Charles II and his closest advisers. The day that he is able to report (with great pride) that the King knows his name comes fairly early in the diary. He loves life too, and says more than once that the only reason for prospering is so that one can enjoy being 'merry' - which for him means having friends round for dinner, music, dancing and hilarity.
The diary is probably best known for its eye-witness description of the great fire of London in September 1666, and Pepys's frankness about his extramarital affairs which are briefly recounted in a bizarre mixture of English, French and Spanish (although the diary was already written in shorthand for privacy). His attitude to his sins is very endearing: he obviously loves his 'poor wife' as he calls her, and is genuinely remorseful of his unfaithfulness: virtually every New Year he makes a resolution to have nothing more to do with his other women, but it usually only lasts a week or so before he's once again chasing after some actress, wife of a subordinate or one of the maids in his own household.
One thing I didn't realise before (and found rather shocking) was that the women were not always willing, at least in the early days. He would struggle with them and once reports having badly sprained his hand subduing a woman who put up a fight. On the other hand, he doesn't necessarily go 'all the way', but is often satisfied with kissing and fondling them. When one maid is dismissed after he has been cavorting with her for several months, he reports with regret that he did not 'have her maidenhead' - although perhaps that was just for lack of opportunity!
This is a lovely edition with 16 full-page colour photographs of portraits and cityscape paintings, and many more line drawings of buildings and contemporary scenes that help the reader to imagine what Pepys was seeing.
The only downside of this edition is that there are no footnotes. Occasionally the editors insert a few lines to explain something about an event or person, but there's no translation of the foreign or obsolete words that Pepys uses. This does make it flow much better of course but you have to accept that you might not understand every word.
October 14, 2014
Great insight into life at the time etc etc. Fleshed out my vague impressions of what the great fire and plague must have been like with day to day practicalities, and learning about the workings of the monarchy, parliament and navy (particularly during the Dutch war) from a similar perspective was unexpectedly interesting. This is balanced nicely by moments of slapstick comedy relief, such as Pepys setting fire to his wig on a candle behind him and wondering what the burning smell is. Good stuff.
While I did find it fairly hard work at times, I'm glad I pressed on - it's fascinating to see inside someone's head in such detail and to see how relatable his thoughts are. Watching him attempting to excuse his many guilty pleasures is always entertaining - Pepys is a rude man. Overall though, his enthusiasm for life and how much of an interest he takes in pretty much everything is inspiring.
While I did find it fairly hard work at times, I'm glad I pressed on - it's fascinating to see inside someone's head in such detail and to see how relatable his thoughts are. Watching him attempting to excuse his many guilty pleasures is always entertaining - Pepys is a rude man. Overall though, his enthusiasm for life and how much of an interest he takes in pretty much everything is inspiring.
December 13, 2012
This book lved up to its reputation as one of the finest diaries in the Englsh language. It is a glimpse of everyday life in late seventeenth century England, with an insider view of the royal court, and the building of the Royal Navy. Pepys was famously badly behaved, and his triumphs and amorous defeats are detailed here as well (originally in code). The most vivid episode for me was when, with the Great Fire of London, he buried his gold to save it, then had trouble finding it once again! It is, as the editor notes, a great pity that Pepys did not continue his diary. It would have been wondeful to have had an insider's view of the Glorious Revolution of 1688.
September 10, 2008
I have the whole set of Samuel Pepys diaries plus this extracted version- the Robert Latham series and I enjoy it immensely. It's a great way to enjoy life in London in the 1660's and the advent of what we would recognize as a middle class person enjoying life in a metropolis with coffee houses and restaurants and investment opportunities as well as the opportunity for extra marital romance and scientific lectures.
September 12, 2010
I started this awhile ago, set it aside, and have returned again, with pleasure. If you'd like a first-hand and often humorous glimpse into life in the 17th century, you'll enjoy getting to know Samuel Pepys.
April 30, 2020
There are some schools of political philosophy which tell you that man's nature is shaped by the economic mode of production prevailing in his time. There are some individuals who will tell that a certain political leader made us selfish. Reading Pepys is a great antidote to such rubbish.
For better or worse, the Samuel Pepys of the 1660s is easily recognisable to a reader in the 2020s. He isn't very different from us. He has to deal with office intrigue, he likes a bit of the other, largely as a result he has a rocky relationship, he likes learning, he likes drama, and he likes a drink. There is enough of a 'side' shown in these admirably honest diaries that you might not want to reply on Pepys too much, but he doesn't seem, in his motivations and impulses, all that different from us.
These have an appeal for me also as a Londoner. Pepys frequently just heads out, bumps into someone interesting, and ends up rolling around the town having a right old time. London is like that, and it seems it always was.
For better or worse, the Samuel Pepys of the 1660s is easily recognisable to a reader in the 2020s. He isn't very different from us. He has to deal with office intrigue, he likes a bit of the other, largely as a result he has a rocky relationship, he likes learning, he likes drama, and he likes a drink. There is enough of a 'side' shown in these admirably honest diaries that you might not want to reply on Pepys too much, but he doesn't seem, in his motivations and impulses, all that different from us.
These have an appeal for me also as a Londoner. Pepys frequently just heads out, bumps into someone interesting, and ends up rolling around the town having a right old time. London is like that, and it seems it always was.
September 29, 2020
(1) I feel "enriched" which is different than having been entertained. History is interesting. "...a cupp of tee (a China drink) of which I never drank before..."
(2) PEEPS PEEPS PEEPS. I think I've got it. It's still weird and I have to pause and think about it every time. Like Calliope and hors d'oeuvre.
(3) Puppy-dog water. gag. A very ugly beauty treatment. And "black patches" - so silly!
(4) But it's not all murdered puppies:
23 May 1661 "I had very good discourse with Mr. Ashmore wherein he did assure me that froggs and many other insects do often fall from the sky ready-formed"
30 Oct 1665 "When [my friend] begins to be drunk, he is excellent company, but afterward, troublesome and impertinent."
12 Jan 1669 "[My wife] came to my side of the bed and drew my curtaine open, and with the tongs, red hot at the ends, made as if she did design to pinch me with them, at which in dismay I rose up..."
(2) PEEPS PEEPS PEEPS. I think I've got it. It's still weird and I have to pause and think about it every time. Like Calliope and hors d'oeuvre.
(3) Puppy-dog water. gag. A very ugly beauty treatment. And "black patches" - so silly!
(4) But it's not all murdered puppies:
23 May 1661 "I had very good discourse with Mr. Ashmore wherein he did assure me that froggs and many other insects do often fall from the sky ready-formed"
30 Oct 1665 "When [my friend] begins to be drunk, he is excellent company, but afterward, troublesome and impertinent."
12 Jan 1669 "[My wife] came to my side of the bed and drew my curtaine open, and with the tongs, red hot at the ends, made as if she did design to pinch me with them, at which in dismay I rose up..."
September 13, 2023
I had high hopes that this volume of extracts of a 17th century diary might be as fascinating and interesting as many other reviews have obviously found it. Sad to say I was disappointed with much of it. Sure, there are nuggets of gossip and nice anecdotes and turns of phrase (in old but not necessarily quaint language) but I found Pepys himself rather an unlikable 'hero' : self-server, adulterer, serial sexual predator but jealous of his wife whom he abuses both mentally and physically, grasping and much driven by ambition and money-making, ever surrounding himself with the trappings of his work, including some ill-gotten gains using his 'civil service' position to feather his own nest.
In my mind, John Evelyn is much more interesting.
In my mind, John Evelyn is much more interesting.
June 19, 2020
This is an edited version of the diaries kept by Samuel Pepys from 1660-69. Being private diaries they were originally written in shorthand, and for the racier bits in a strange mixture of French/Spanish. They were never intended by Pepys to be published. And, therefore, they are very honest and record his personal triumphs and also his weaknesses. Quite a lot was relevant to today's world, especially passages about the Plague and the Great Fire of London, the place of the monarchy, which had just been restored, marriage and jealousy. The diaries are fascinating, even if you don't agree with some of his views/behaviour!
May 30, 2021
Wonderful first hand insight of life in London in the mid seventeenth century. I didn’t know that Samuel Pepys was such a lecherous man. No wonder he referred to his wife as a poor wretch - sure sign of his guilty conscience ? A very able and competent person though.
I read it before starting A Journal of the Plague Year ( Daniel Defoe ) which will give me the full facts of a key element within Pepys diary of the period 1660 - 1669.
I read it before starting A Journal of the Plague Year ( Daniel Defoe ) which will give me the full facts of a key element within Pepys diary of the period 1660 - 1669.
February 8, 2024
Pepys seems like the least anxious guy in existence. Affairs, marital discord, the Great Fire of London — this guy goes through it all, then to dinner, the club, and home to slumber.
This is a great daily read to have on hand. And the Lethem edition my wife got me is nicely compact, and presumably cuts out a ton of boring bits.
This is a great daily read to have on hand. And the Lethem edition my wife got me is nicely compact, and presumably cuts out a ton of boring bits.
September 5, 2017
Read and Read.
August 4, 2019
Inspired to read this by my daughter’s interest in the Great Fire of London. I found much of his fascinating...
April 22, 2020
A nice way to get an overview of Pepys and a much shorter simpler read than the whole diary
March 20, 2024
Read with a medical lens. I think he suffered from late syphillis, probably gonorrhoea sequelae as well - gave him urethral strictures and bladder stones, and unhinged the man. Very vivid memories of his stone treatment (without anesthesia). Impressive medical an societal tidbits of information.
Nowadays, the entire text can be found online with a lot of commentary, and i used these resources many times to help with archaic language. Fantastic read, but sometimes hard to access ideas and emotions with a 21st century perspective.
Nowadays, the entire text can be found online with a lot of commentary, and i used these resources many times to help with archaic language. Fantastic read, but sometimes hard to access ideas and emotions with a 21st century perspective.
July 31, 2009
This is a private journal from the mid 1600s of an upper level Navy administrator from his late 20s to his mid 30s. It's interesting to see a "real world" glimpse back in time. It was made more interesting since he was writing during the plague and the fire of London.
January 28, 2012
The more we change, the more we stay the same.
Want to read
December 31, 2012Date??
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