Samuel Pepys, blessed with both a gift for observation and a prominent position in society, has charmed readers for centuries with his musings and writings. To celebrate this tercentenary, HarperCollins are delighted to publish this anthology: the perfect introduction to the Diaries, with extracts arranged by subject.


In this short anthology, published to coincide with the 300th Anniversary of the great diarist’s death, selected from Samuel Pepys’s famous Diary, passages are collected together by subject, providing a fresh look at some of the themes that run through the massive complete work. Robert and Linnet Latham’s lively and skilful presentation allows the reader to become absorbed in a single topic without interruption, often providing new insight into Pepys’s private and public life.


We see Pepys the man of fashion, the book-lover, the musician, the theatre-goer, Pepys the husband and Pepys the public servant, at work and at leisure. From festivals such as Christmas and Twelfth Night, enjoyed with family and friends, to the great events such as the Fire and the Plague described so vividly in the Diary, Pepys’s life and times are revealed in all their richness and variety.


And for the first time, we can read as continuous narrative some of the stories interwoven with daily events – the long entangled saga of his affair with Deb Willet and the tale of the Dancing Master.


For anyone unfamiliar with Pepys, this anthology will serve as a delightful introduction, while lovers of the Diary will take pleasure in rediscovering favourite passages.