Status
Available
Call number
Publication
PENGUIN GROUP (2015)
Description
'With one's face in the wind you were almost burned with a shower of Firedrops'A selection from Pepys' startlingly vivid and candid diary, including his famous account of the Great FireIntroducing Little Black Classics- 80 books for Penguin's 80th birthday. Little Black Classics celebrate the huge range and diversity of Penguin Classics, with books from around the world and across many centuries. They take us from a balloon ride over Victorian London to a garden of blossom in Japan, from Tierra del Fuego to 16th century California and the Russian steppe. Here are stories lyrical and savage; poems epic and intimate; essays satirical and inspirational; and ideas that have shaped the lives of millions.
User reviews
LibraryThing member TheCrow2
Except from a (presumably) private diary. The title can be misleading a bit because the first (bigger) half is no about the Great Fire. We are in 1665 in the year of the plague, which would be interesting but Pepys hardly mentions it. In almost all of his entries he just detailing his everyday
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activities rather boringly. The parts about the the Great Fire are more interesting but because Pepys being a witness doesn't makes him a good writer the book has more historical than literal value. Show Less
LibraryThing member SashaM
Very interesting but again (in this collection) a few times it really needed some footnotes to explain certain historical references
LibraryThing member MissBrangwen
*This is a review of the Penguin Little Black Classics edition*
I have heard so much about the diaries of Samuel Pepys: That they are interesting and funny, but also that they are very heard to read, boring and long. So when I saw this Little Black Classic, I thought that it would be a good way to
This book contains excerpts from the diaries focused on two topics. The first contains entries from the period when the plague hit London in 1665 and Pepys was concerned with the Second Anglo-Dutch War, the second part consists of entries about the fire.
Most reviews I read say that the first part is very boring compared to the second part, when the fire provides a more interesting backdrop, but to me both parts are equally interesting. I might even like the first part a bit more, because of all the fascinating small details making up the writer's daily life in 1665, for example, having to look at his pocket watch every few minutes because he is so fascinated by it (and proud to own it, I guess!) or admiring fish living in a glass. It strikes me how many of the writer's worries are similar to our own: He feels sorry because he cannot see his mother more due to duties at work, he is tired in the mornings and kind of wishes for a better work life balance, but is worried about how others might perceive his work ethos, he likes new clothing and discusses the fittings of his new suits with his wife... It all sounds so familiar, and it seems that people do not really change after all.
Of course, the second part is a little more exciting action wise. Pepys eyes the fire from day to day, travels all over London and describes what he sees, endeavors to rescue his belongings and goes through some hardships while being aware that others have it much worse. These entries are much longer, but I read them quicker because more things happen in them.
So do I want to read all of the diaries one day? I am still on the fence. If so, it will be a very long project. I am wondering if audio would be a good idea. I will see...
I have heard so much about the diaries of Samuel Pepys: That they are interesting and funny, but also that they are very heard to read, boring and long. So when I saw this Little Black Classic, I thought that it would be a good way to
Show More
just dip into this work and have a look.This book contains excerpts from the diaries focused on two topics. The first contains entries from the period when the plague hit London in 1665 and Pepys was concerned with the Second Anglo-Dutch War, the second part consists of entries about the fire.
Most reviews I read say that the first part is very boring compared to the second part, when the fire provides a more interesting backdrop, but to me both parts are equally interesting. I might even like the first part a bit more, because of all the fascinating small details making up the writer's daily life in 1665, for example, having to look at his pocket watch every few minutes because he is so fascinated by it (and proud to own it, I guess!) or admiring fish living in a glass. It strikes me how many of the writer's worries are similar to our own: He feels sorry because he cannot see his mother more due to duties at work, he is tired in the mornings and kind of wishes for a better work life balance, but is worried about how others might perceive his work ethos, he likes new clothing and discusses the fittings of his new suits with his wife... It all sounds so familiar, and it seems that people do not really change after all.
Of course, the second part is a little more exciting action wise. Pepys eyes the fire from day to day, travels all over London and describes what he sees, endeavors to rescue his belongings and goes through some hardships while being aware that others have it much worse. These entries are much longer, but I read them quicker because more things happen in them.
So do I want to read all of the diaries one day? I am still on the fence. If so, it will be a very long project. I am wondering if audio would be a good idea. I will see...
Show Less
Language
ISBN
0141397543 / 9780141397542