Samuel Pepys: The Unequalled Self

As a lover of well written biography and history, it's wonderful to indulge in a such a well-informed, witty and charming picture of one man's life in the London of Cromwell and the Restoration.I think Pepys would have loved the internet, chat rooms, gossip columns in the Sunday papers and probably reality TV. Tomalin has introduced me to a man who had inexhaustible curiosity about the world around him but, most significantly of all, curiosity about himself. Everything and anything was worth noting down for Pepys and the minutiae of his daily life is a treasure.I've never read the diary itself but after reading this, I don't see the need. The author has captured exquisitely Pepys's life and times including plague, fire, war, peace, domesticity, ill health and extended family - all coloured by Pepys's endearing self-examination (and self-importance!!). Fortunately, Pepys loved himself and I found myself liking him as he liked himself. As such, we get a wonderful picture of a man's life and times without politically correct, turgid self-examination and self-criticism; this man loved life! Hooray for him!For a micro and macro view of the London of Cromwell, the Restoration, the coming of age of the British Navy, the evolution of literature, art, science, architecture and the embryo of the British empire, you can't beat this book.Highly recommended - Tomalin gives a fresh, clear view of a man who seems so immediate you can well imagine him living next door!

A good biographer must tread a fine line. She must enable us to get beneath the skin of her subject. We have to be made to feel that we really understand what makes the subject tick. On the other hand (if you don't mind me mixing my metaphors!) she must maintain a critical perspective. The biography should not degenerate into "hero worship". In "Samuel Pepys: The Unequalled Self" the biographer, Claire Tomalin, has managed to achieve this balance. Admittedly, as far as getting beneath her subject's skin, Ms. Tomalin has been helped by one of the most famous diaries of all time- the one kept by Pepys from his late 20's until his late 30's. But I have seen other biographies of Pepys that relied too much on the diary- where the diary became a crutch that enabled the biographer merely to amuse us with its sometimes slapstick sexual content, rather than to thoughtfully present us with a well-rounded, flesh-and-blood human being. So, besides reporting on Pepys's crude and predatory amorous adventures, much of the book is devoted to Pepys's hard work over many years as a naval administrator. He devoted himself to modernizing the Navy by both the introduction of proper record keeping and by using the resultant statistical data to develop a more efficient procurement process. He also never stopped trying to get adequate funding so that more ships could be built. Pepys, who as a teenager witnessed the execution of Charles I and who was an admirer of Cromwell, was a great believer in meritocracy. However, Ms. Tomalin also shows us a Pepys who didn't fail to enrich himself by taking advantage of his position- he accepted numerous "gifts" from people who wanted government jobs or contracts. (The "gifts" weren't always in the form of money. One particularly ambitious ships' carpenter "loaned out" his wife to Pepys!) Pepys also used his position to help out friends and family members. Of course, the author points out that this was common practice at the time. But, we have to smirk a bit when Pepys puffs himself up and states he would never take a bribe! (He convinced himself that he wasn't being "bought" since he claimed that the decision making process was never influenced by the money or payment-in-kind that he received. He said he always did what was best for the country, and that the "gifts" were mere gestures of appreciation.) Ms. Tomalin is never heavy-handed in her presentation. She never fails to put Pepys's behavior in its proper context- we are always reminded of how people behaved in both their public and private lives back in the 17th century. Where some previous biographers have tended to zero in on either Pepys the diarist or Pepys the naval administrator, Ms. Tomalin gives us the whole man. We learn that Pepys was an intensely social person- he loved going out to the coffee-houses, to the theater and to concerts, etc. Although not a true scientist, he was a very curious man who wanted to know what made the world tick. He belonged to the Royal Soc

This one is and I've read them all. Tomalin chooses diary excerpts brilliantly, tying together a picture of the man in his own words that captures the spirit of the diary and other materials (letters and so on) perfectly. Then she wraps it all into the context of the fascinating times in which Pepys lived and gives us rich introductions to those who shared his life and world. This book is a MUST READ for anyone who likes Pepys. Anyone who doesn't know Pepys will run right out and buy the 11-volume version of the diary after reading this book.