by Samuel Pepys
First published 1825
Samuel Pepys records the tumultuous events of 1660s England as they unfold around him. He witnesses the Restoration of the monarchy, endures the Great Plague sweeping through London, and watches the city burn in the Great Fire. Between these historic moments, Pepys navigates his position at the Navy Board during the Dutch War while pursuing romantic affairs and attending theater performances. His diary captures both the grand sweep of political change and the intimate details of daily existence. Pepys writes with remarkable candor about his personal struggles and observations, creating an unfiltered window into seventeenth-century English society. The tension between public duty and private desire drives his narrative as he balances his official responsibilities with his social ambitions and personal relationships. This edition, abridged by Robert Latham from Magdalene College Cambridge, presents Pepys' sharp-eyed account of a decade that transformed England. His frank commentary reveals both the excitement and uncertainty of living through historical upheaval.
Genres: historical, historical-fiction, non-fiction, biography-memoir
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, public-duty-private-desire
Setting: England, London
Period: 1660s
1096 pages · Paperback · Penguin Books