Samuel Pepys: The Unequalled Self

I am a history buff and suppose anyone buying this book would have to be. Samuel Pepys, as it turns out, was a lot more than just a diarist. He was, in effect, what we would call Secretary of the Navy during the Restoration.

Raised as a Puritan, he successfully made the switch to a Stuart supporter when The Restoration became inevitable after Oliver Cromwell died and his son just did not measure up to the job.

We are taken into the world of an ambitious man clawing his way up to the top of the greasy pole. He knows how it is done--and how to make money from bribes (and convince yourself that you are not doing anything immoral at the same time). The way things were done in 17th century was a bit different than it is in the modern US--and perhaps a bit of the same.

The most riveting bit about Pepys life was an operation he underwent in 1658 for the removal of a bladder stone. It goes without saying that there was no anesthesia in those days. First they tied you down and then they cut and probed; there is an illustration of someone trussed up like a turkey with a probe inserted in--well, you have to see it.

Great pain and death was a daily companion for those living before anesthesia--and I am not even going to talk about tooth pain. Death, moreover, was all around. Children died from all sorts of diseases that are easily curable now. Any sort of fever could end in death--and, of course, there was bubonic plague, which killed off about 1/6 of London's population in a single year.

I found this book absolutely riveting. It is 378 pages of text (and oodles of pages of notes for the compulsive people like me who read them). I read it in 3 days.

If you are interested in English history you will love this book. Maybe one of these days I will even get around to reading Pepys' diaries.


Best bio ever written of Pepys   November 14, 2002
sarah crapo (USA)
25 out of 25 found this review helpful

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.


A Literary Time Capsule   March 8, 2003
23 out of 23 found this review helpful

I bought this book as a follow-up after listened to the audio recording of Pepys Diary narrated (performed!) by Kenneth Branagh to get a more in depth knowledge of the historical times, characters and political forces of the day. I am no avid historian but great history can approach great literature in stature (my bias). This very well researched and thoroughly documented account of the life of Samuel Pepys spans the years prior to, during and subsequent to the diary years. Although the most compelling period is the diary years, the times prior to that disclose his upbringing and particularly his health and it's lasting imprint on this amazing character - no doubt contributing to his life long ambitious drive and living for the moment. You will never consider a kidney stone in the same light after reading this account!

As preivious reviewers here have noted, the diary was written largely in code. That and heavy editing by nervous publishers over the years have kept the complete story from full disclosure for nearly 300 hundred years. Initially the bawdy stories kept my rapt attention, but this research reveals it is much more than that - a very multi-layered and mullti-faceted sotry that for the history novice like me, puts a humanistic face on the 17th century.

Significant points that Tomalin reveals include that this secret diary is one of the best historical accounts that covers London's Restoration period as the King had tight control over "the press". The diary documents firsthand accounts of the plague, the great fire, the return of the king to the thrown, the many wars at sea with the Dutch, the political struggling between the Royals and the Common Wealth, the intense distrust between protestants and catholics and religious persecution. In addition there are firsthand reviews of various plays (including Shakespeare, Chaucer), comments on copious consumption (and burial) of wine and Parmesan cheese, personal hygiene standards as well as graphic descriptions of the system of justice during this time.

This is a time capsule worth reading and listening a few times.


Peppy Fellow   January 2, 2003
Bruce Loveitt (Ogdensburg, NY USA)
33 out of 36 found this review helpful

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 Society for many years and was delighted to attend the meetings and to learn about new theories and to hear of the latest experiments. He knew Newton, Boyle, Hooke and Wren. Ms. Tomalin also tells us of Pepys's lifelong passion for music. He grew up in a musical household and throughout his life he loved both to play music and to listen to music performed by others. He enjoyed good food and was an avid reader. He built up an impressive library, which he left to Cambridge University. The beauty of this biography is in the nuances- in showing us all the facets of this remarkable man.


Glorious Gossip!   October 10, 2003
Susan Smith (A small rural village in the English Midlands)
10 out of 10 found this review helpful

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!