Samuel Pepys

Written between 1660 and 1669, as Pepys was establishing himself as a key administrator in the Navy Office, this is an intimate portrait of life in 17th-century England. Volume II covers some of the most famous events in his lifetime. Pepys was in London during the terrible Plague of 1665. And he was there during the Great Fire of London the following year, playing an active role in the actual event and its aftermath.

In the last three years of Pepys' diary, he was in his mid-30s and confident in his ability to deal with differing political factions within the Navy Office; his affection for his wife, Elizabeth, grew ever stronger, and he found he was worth £6,000 - a considerable sum for the son of a tailor, who started with nothing. But with fears for his eyesight, it was with some regret that he stopped writing his diary at the end of May 1669.

Written between 1660 and 1669, as Pepys was establishing himself as a key administrator in the Navy Office, this is an intimate portrait of life in 17th-century England, covering his professional and personal activities, including, famously, his love of music, theatre, food, wine and his peccadilloes. Volume I covers the opening years of the Restoration and introduces us to many of the key characters - family, government and royalty of the Stuart monarchy.