The Diary of Samuel Pepys, Vol. 2: 1661 [Paperback]

Samuel Pepys (Author), Robert Latham (Editor), William Matthews (Editor)

Book Description

Series: Diary of Samuel Pepys | Publication Date: July 30, 2000

Samuel Pepys is as much a paragon of literature as Chaucer and Shakespeare. His Diary is one of the principal sources for many aspects of the history of its period. In spite of its significance, all previous editions were inadequately edited and suffered from a number of omissions--until Robert Latham and William Matthews went back to the 300-year-old original manuscript and deciphered each passage and phrase, no matter how obscure or indiscreet.
The Diary deals with some of the most dramatic events in English history. Pepys witnessed the London Fire, the Great Plague, the Restoration of Charles II, and the Dutch Wars. He was a patron of the arts, having himself composed many delightful songs and participated in the artistic life of London. His flair for gossip and detail reveals a portrait of the times that rivals the most swashbuckling and romantic historical novels. In none of the earlier versions was there a reliable, full text, with commentary and notation with any claim to completeness. This edition, first published in 1970, is the first in which the entire diary is printed with systematic comment. This is the only complete edition available; it is as close to Pepys's original as possible.

Editorial Reviews

Review

'The Latham-Matthews transcription of Pepys' Diary is one of the glories of contemporary English publishing.' The Times 'The pleasure of Pepys -- of reading him -- is his own pleasure in experience! Pepys' Diary is the cheerful self-report, not of the man eminent in naval history, not of the historical witness, but of the unobjectionable hedonist.' Guardian 'Here, in one of the finest feats in all the long history of scholarship, is Pepys' Diary, once and for all. Exegi monumentum aere perennius.' Observer 'The editors have achieved the impossible! one can now read the Diary perfectly easily, month by month, year by year! here at last is a really learned edition where the learning is put at the disposal of the layman.' New Statesman 'It isn't often that one encounters a publication -- especially of this magnitude -- which achieves complete perfection, but there is no doubt that this does.' Sir Arthur Bryant --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Robert Latham was Pepys Librarian at Magdalene College, Cambridge. In addition to editing the eleven volumes of The Diary of Samuel Pepys, he was the editor of the acclaimed Shorter Pepys (1985) and A Pepys Anthology (1988), both published by University of California Press. William Matthews was Professor of English at the University of California, Los Angeles.

Product Details

• Paperback: 278 pages
• Publisher: University of California Press; 1 edition (July 30, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0520225805
• ISBN-13: 978-0520225800
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 5.5 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,324,606 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Nothing Better than More Pepys!, January 20, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: The Diary of Samuel Pepys, Vol. 2: 1661 (Paperback)

Having only read "excerpts" before -- and the "shorter" Pepys is massive -- I supposed the short version was the exciting and interesting parts and the complete diary was the boring version that put everything in.
Well it turns out all PEPYS IS EQUALLY GOOD. The reason? This man loved life and said so, with great enthusiasm, and at the same time was a conscientious and effective(not always right or wise) public servant. This startling mix, in the end makes him seem a completely modern person. Fascinating.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Everything Old Is New Again, August 31, 2009

By 

Poniplaizy (Mount Joy, PA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Diary Of Samuel Pepys 1661 (Paperback)

First off, you really can't go wrong no matter which edition of Pepys you start with. If you've read the abridged version, don't think that only the boring stuff was left out. Actually, what you missed are the little details that bring Pepys, his life, and seventeenth-century London to life even more vividly.

If you think history is dull and that people's lives were so different from ours that we can't relate to them, Pepys will show you a great time. It's all there: marital spats, office politics, home improvement projects, keeping up with the Joneses, even road rage! Focused through Pepys's lens, we can see that human nature and human foibles are timeless, and that our lives are a continuation of, not a divergence from, those of the past. For this insight alone, the book is valuable. And for the price, it's a steal. Well done, and highly recommended--you will be purchasing volume 2 before you know it!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars King of Diarists, May 15, 2010

By 

Sirin (London, UK) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Diary of Samuel Pepys, Vol. 2: 1661 (Paperback)

Samuel Pepys is a man about London for all ages. Intelligent, sociable and wide ranging in his interests he paints a marvelous tapestry of Restoration London, including its seismic events: the Plague, the Fire, The Dutch War. A tireless worker with a gift for administrative detail in his post as a naval civil servant, Pepys also found time for many romantic liaisons which he depicted in his famous code and had an appreciation of the finer things in life such as theatre trips and good food (there is a great bit as the fire of London approaches and Pepys buries his precious wine and parmesan cheese along with his vital papers to protect them).

Pepys comes across as a throughly rounded human, with his woes and anxieties, especially over his health depicted as much as his triumphs. He is truly a man who lived his alloted span of life to the full, appreciated all there was about his era and times. And for that his diaries are a terrific historical testament.