Hans Sloane, Samuel Pepys, and the Evidence of a Lost Pepys Library Catalogue

This article examines the relationship between Hans Sloane (1660–1753) and Samuel Pepys (1633–1703), two celebrated book collectors of the late seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries. Pepys's and Sloane's connection is traced back to the mid 1680s and to their attendance at the Royal Society. A mysterious leaf in Sloane's papers (Sloane MS. 4019, f. 178) has previously been thought to be evidence of Sloane's early cataloguing practices in his library. In fact, this sheet proves to be evidence from Pepys's library and, intriguingly, it precedes Pepys's earliest surviving catalogue from 1700. An investigation of the origins of this sheet reveals how Pepys developed his cataloguing methods to accommodate the growth of his library. In considering the aesthetic role of catalogues, the article illuminates an overlooked aspect of seventeenth-century library design

Hans Sloane, Samuel Pepys, and the Evidence of a Lost Pepys Library Catalogue

This article examines the relationship between Hans Sloane (1660–1753) and Samuel Pepys (1633–1703), two celebrated book collectors of the late seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries. Pepys's and Sloane's connection is traced back to the mid 1680s and to their attendance at the Royal Society. A mysterious leaf in Sloane's papers (Sloane MS. 4019, f. 178) has previously been thought to be evidence of Sloane's early cataloguing practices in his library. In fact, this sheet proves to be evidence from Pepys's library and, intriguingly, it precedes Pepys's earliest surviving catalogue from 1700. An investigation of the origins of this sheet reveals how Pepys developed his cataloguing methods to accommodate the growth of his library. In considering the aesthetic role of catalogues, the article illuminates an overlooked aspect of seventeenth-century library design

Interview about historical fiction with Catherine Johnson, author of novels for young adults and children (audio recording)

Dr Kate Loveman interviews Catherine Johnson, the award-winning author of historical novels for children and young adults.  Catherine Johnson’s historical novels are principally set in the eighteenth-century and feature the adventures of young people who are Black or of mixed heritage.  The topics Catherine and Kate discuss include: the roles for historical fiction in representing the experiences of Black Britons; the appeal of the eighteenth-century for writers; the types of sources that can provide inspiration; the depiction of sensitive subject matter, such as slavery and sexual assault, in novels aimed at young people; and tips for aspiring authors of historical fiction.  This is an edited version of an interview recorded on 25 April 2022. It lasts 30 minutes. The interview was conducted as part of the ‘Reimagining the Restoration’ project, funded by the AHRC.</p

Who discovered the Great Fire?

An investigation into who was present in Thomas Farriner's bakery on the night the Great Fire of London began there in 1666. Thomas Dagger, a journeyman baker, is identified for the first time as the 'man' noted in one contemporary source to have raised the alarm.  This research was published on the Reimagining the Restoration project website in 2023.</p

Interview about historical fiction with Deborah Swift, author of novels based on Samuel Pepys’s diary (audio)

Dr Kate Loveman interviews Deborah Swift, a historical novelist who has written gripping and carefully researched stories about seventeenth-century women. These include a trilogy of novels based on the women in Samuel Pepys’s diary of the 1660s (Pleasing Mr Pepys, A Plague on Mr Pepys, and Entertaining Mr Pepys).  The topics Kate and Deborah discuss include: the appeal of the seventeenth century for historical novelists; the opportunities and challenges of writing fiction about women’s lives; Deborah’s approaches to Pepys’s diary in her trilogy; depictions of sensitive subject matter, such as marital abuse and racism; and tips for aspiring historical novelists. This is an edited version of an interview recorded on 3 May 2022. It lasts 30 minutes. The interview was conducted as part of the ‘Reimagining the Restoration’ project, funded by the AHRC.</p

Interview about historical fiction, with Deborah Swift, author of novels based on Samuel Pepys’s diary (transcript)

Dr Kate Loveman interviews Deborah Swift, a historical novelist who has written gripping and carefully researched stories about seventeenth-century women. These include a trilogy of novels based on the women in Samuel Pepys’s diary of the 1660s (Pleasing Mr Pepys, A Plague on Mr Pepys, and Entertaining Mr Pepys).  The topics Kate and Deborah discuss include: the appeal of the seventeenth century for historical novelists; the opportunities and challenges of writing fiction about women’s lives; Deborah’s approaches to Pepys’s diary in her trilogy; depictions of sensitive subject matter, such as marital abuse and racism; and tips for aspiring historical novelists. This is an intelligent transcript of an audio recording, which is publicly available. The interview took place on 3 May 2022. It was conducted as part of the ‘Reimagining the Restoration’ project, funded by the AHRC.</p

Hans Sloane, Samuel Pepys, and the Evidence of a Lost Pepys Library Catalogue

This article examines the relationship between Hans Sloane (1660–1753) and Samuel Pepys (1633–1703), two celebrated book collectors of the late seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries. Pepys's and Sloane's connection is traced back to the mid 1680s and to their attendance at the Royal Society. A mysterious leaf in Sloane's papers (Sloane MS. 4019, f. 178) has previously been thought to be evidence of Sloane's early cataloguing practices in his library. In fact, this sheet proves to be evidence from Pepys's library and, intriguingly, it precedes Pepys's earliest surviving catalogue from 1700. An investigation of the origins of this sheet reveals how Pepys developed his cataloguing methods to accommodate the growth of his library. In considering the aesthetic role of catalogues, the article illuminates an overlooked aspect of seventeenth-century library design.</p

Catalogue of the Pepys Library at Magdalene College, Cambridge. Supplementary Series, Volume II: Collections, I: Maritime, Religious, Political. Ed. by C. S. Knighton. (book review)

At the close of the seventeenth century Samuel Pepys poured much of his energy and his wealth into assembling his private library. Such a library, he believed, should contain ‘the greatest diversity of Subjects & Stiles (from the most solemn & polite down to the most Vulgar) ... as the Owner’s Reading will bear’.1 On his death in 1703, he left his library to his old college, Magdalene in Cambridge, with instructions that its order be preserved for posterity