[itssme]

Samuel Pepys’ diaries were the most interesting and educational diaries I've ever read. Sam wrote his diaries in shorthand, and included all the “tasty bits” of life in the 17th Century. You felt as if you were really there as he documented his day to day life in service of the King, and his home life with his wife and servants, his friends and relatives, etc. Because it was in his type of shorthand, he wrote freely and in detail. A really good read!

[miss marmelstein]

My favorite anecdote from Pepys’ diary was when his wife, upset as usual with him, heated a pair of tongs in the bedroom fireplace and while he was asleep attempted to catch his nose between them. Luckily, Sam woke up and fought her off. He had a thing for the ladies.

He stopped writing the diary because he thought he was going blind. He wasn’t so we lost years of his wonderful notations.

[mass55th]

From what I understand, there are several versions of his diaries in print. According to reviews, the 2010 Latham-Matthews edition is supposed to be the most complete, but there are approximately 10 separate volumes spanning the years, plus an index. His diaries have never been completely published in one volume. Amazon has several free Kindle versions, and I downloaded one of them, but it is more than likely an edited copy. We’ll see.