Samuel Pepys: The Unequalled Self - Claire Tomalin

Already an acclaimed biographer, Claire Tomalin has excelled herself with this hugely entertaining and detailed biography of Samuel Pepys, the famous diarist and Naval Administrator who lived from 1633 to 1709. This was the worthy winner of the Whitbread Book Of The Year Prize, but some months earlier, when my mother asked me what presents I would like for Christmas 2002, Tomalin’s book was high on my list. “Ooooh,” Mum exclaimed, “Samuel Pepys! Have you gone all intellectual on us?” -And I imagine this to be a common misconception although, in fact, the book is a more “popular” than ...  Read the complete review