The Strange History of Samuel Pepys's Diary

During the 1660s, Samuel Pepys kept a secret diary full of intimate details and political scandal. Had the contents been revealed, they could have destroyed his marriage, ended his career, and seen him arrested. This engaging book explores the creation of the most famous journal in the English language, how it came to be published in 1825, and the many remarkable roles it has played in British culture since then. Kate Loveman – one of the few people who can read Pepys's shorthand – unlocks the riddles of the diary, investigating why he chose to preserve such private matters for later generations. She also casts fresh light on the women and sexual relationships in Pepys's life and on Black Britons living in or near his household. Exploring the many inventive uses to which the diary has been put, Loveman shows how Pepys's history became part of the history of the nation.

Published to coincide with the 200th anniversary of the publication of Pepys's diary

Brings fresh understandings to the methods and motives behind the creation of this most famous of journals

Offers new ways of reading the diary and new insights into what it can tell us about groups and people under-represented in the historical records

Shows that Pepys's diary continues profoundly to influence how we understand the Restoration period, history, and the question of whose stories are worth telling