Perfect for fans of Philippa Gregory, Alison Weir, Anne O'Brien and Elizabeth Chadwick, Deborah Swift brings a unique period in history to vivid, fascinating life in her acclaimed Pepys trilogy. 'An intriguing and exceptionally beautifully written book' CAROL MCGRATH 'A novel that transports readers with astonishing and engrossing detail' READERS' FAVORITE 'An immersive and rich imagining of a mysterious woman from Pepys' life that will hold readers until the very end' HISTORICAL NOVEL SOCIETY *The second in Deborah Swift's atmospheric trilogy, bringing to life the women in Pepys' Diary. The books can be read in any order as each stands alone.* .................................... 1665 and The Great Plague has London in its grip. As the summer heat rises, red crosses mark the doors, and wealthy citizens flee. Only the poor remain to face the march of death . . . Ambitious and attractive Bess Bagwell is determined her carpenter husband, Will, should make a name for himself. So she schemes to meet Samuel Pepys, diarist, friend of the King, and an important man in the Navy shipyards. But Pepys has his own motive for cultivating Bess, and it is certainly not to benefit her husband. With pestilence rife in the city, all trade ceases. Will is forced to invest in his unscrupulous cousin Jack's dubious 'cure' for the pestilence. But this only horrifies Bess and leaves them deeper in debt. Now they are desperate for money, and the dread disease is moving ever closer. Pepys's help seems to be the only answer. But as with all bargains, there's a price to pay. A price that could cost more than Bess has to give. .................................... Praise for Deborah's INSANELY ATMOSPHERIC tales: 'A Plague on Mr Pepys brings seventeenth century London to life in convincing detail. I found the story utterly gripping and it is a book that will be hard to forget' ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ 'Ms Swift's characterisation is so compelling, her storytelling is a dream, and her descriptions of the time and place and the way the people lived are so vivid, so detailed and intricately researched... Utterly brilliant, you have to read it' ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ 'I found this story utterly page-turning and was lost for several days amongst its pages. It is an intriguing and exceptionally beautifully written book filled with vivid images of London between 1662 and 1665' ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ 'If you enjoy historical fiction, this is a book you will savour' ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ Don't miss Deborah Swift's other enthralling tales of Samuel Pepys - Pleasing Mr Pepys and Entertaining Mr Pepys - OUT NOW!

Perfect for fans of Philippa Gregory, Alison Weir, Anne O'Brien and Elizabeth Chadwick, Deborah Swift brings a unique period in history to vivid, fascinating life in her acclaimed Pepys trilogy. 'An intriguing and exceptionally beautifully written book' CAROL MCGRATH 'A novel that transports readers with astonishing and engrossing detail' READERS' FAVORITE 'An immersive and rich imagining of a mysterious woman from Pepys' life that will hold readers until the very end' HISTORICAL NOVEL SOCIETY *The second in Deborah Swift's atmospheric trilogy, bringing to life the women in Pepys' Diary. The books can be read in any order as each stands alone.* .................................... 1665 and The Great Plague has London in its grip. As the summer heat rises, red crosses mark the doors, and wealthy citizens flee. Only the poor remain to face the march of death . . . Ambitious and attractive Bess Bagwell is determined her carpenter husband, Will, should make a name for himself. So she schemes to meet Samuel Pepys, diarist, friend of the King, and an important man in the Navy shipyards. But Pepys has his own motive for cultivating Bess, and it is certainly not to benefit her husband. With pestilence rife in the city, all trade ceases. Will is forced to invest in his unscrupulous cousin Jack's dubious 'cure' for the pestilence. But this only horrifies Bess and leaves them deeper in debt. Now they are desperate for money, and the dread disease is moving ever closer. Pepys's help seems to be the only answer. But as with all bargains, there's a price to pay. A price that could cost more than Bess has to give. .................................... Praise for Deborah's INSANELY ATMOSPHERIC tales: 'A Plague on Mr Pepys brings seventeenth century London to life in convincing detail. I found the story utterly gripping and it is a book that will be hard to forget' ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ 'Ms Swift's characterisation is so compelling, her storytelling is a dream, and her descriptions of the time and place and the way the people lived are so vivid, so detailed and intricately researched... Utterly brilliant, you have to read it' ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ 'I found this story utterly page-turning and was lost for several days amongst its pages. It is an intriguing and exceptionally beautifully written book filled with vivid images of London between 1662 and 1665' ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ 'If you enjoy historical fiction, this is a book you will savour' ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ Don't miss Deborah Swift's other enthralling tales of Samuel Pepys - Pleasing Mr Pepys and Entertaining Mr Pepys - OUT NOW!

Perfect for fans of Philippa Gregory, Alison Weir, Anne O'Brien and Elizabeth Chadwick, Deborah Swift brings a unique period in history to vivid, fascinating life in her acclaimed Pepys trilogy. 'Laced with emotional intensity and drama, Pleasing Mr Pepys . . . (has) an intricate plot that features red herrings, unexpected twists, and surprises that will take readers on a very delightful ride' Readers' Favorite 'Deb Willet, Elizabeth Pepys's maid and the object of Samuel Pepys's attentions, is finally given centre-stage after 350 years, and her tale was worth waiting for. This is exceptional story-telling' L. C. TYLER From acclaimed historical novelist Deborah Swift, Pleasing Mr Pepys is the story of diarist Samuel Pepys' London, vibrantly told through the eyes of his maid. .................................................. Deb Willet is desperate to escape her domineering aunt and takes a position as companion to Elisabeth Pepys, Samuel's wife. Deb believes it will give her the respectability and freedom she craves - but it proves far more complicated than she could ever have imagined. London is still in ruins from the Great Fire. Although Charles II has been restored to the throne, there is the prospect of war with the Dutch - the world's great sea power of the era. In the midst of this tumult strides Samuel Pepys, diarist and man of note. Pepys' influence in Restoration London means that the Dutch are keen to get their hands on his secrets - even if that means murder, espionage and blackmail to get them. Deb is soon caught up in a web of deception and double-dealing. And with Mr Pepys' attentions turned towards her, there's a lot more than treason at stake... Selling other people's secrets is a dangerous game... .................................................. Readers can't get enough of Deborah's VIBRANT and IMMERSIVE tales: 'Deborah Swift has produced a remarkable work of historical fiction . . . Swift spins an excellent tale. The characters, too are just fabulous and utterly believable' ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ 'Having read all Deborah Swift's novels, this is her usual, beautifully atmospheric rendition of an interesting time in 17th century England' ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ 'What an excellent novel! Superb story telling . . . I highly recommend Pleasing Mr Pepys and very much look forward to a sequel' ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ 'This book is an exciting thriller, a real page turner. I read it in a couple of days I was so absorbed in the development of the plot . . . Go out and buy it' ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ Don't miss Deborah Swift's other enthralling tales of Samuel Pepys - A Plague of Mr Pepys and Entertaining Mr Pepys - OUT NOW!

Selections from Samuel Pepys' diary offers a vivid picture of seventeenth century British life, and are accompanied by background information concerning his life and times

Set in the world of Restoration Theatre, this is the third in the series about the women in Pepys' Diary.

Brings to life the world of Samuel Pepys with five walks through London. Samuel Pepys, the seventeenth century's best-known diarist, walked around London for miles, chronicling these walks in his diary. He made the two-and-a-half-mile trek to Whitehall from his house near the Tower of London on an almost daily basis. These streets, where many of his professional conversations took place while walking, became for him an alternative to his office. With Walking Pepys’s London, we come to know life in London from the pavement up and see its streets from the perspective of this renowned diarist. The city was a key character in Pepys’s life, and this book draws parallels between his experience of seventeenth-century London and the lives of Londoners today. Bringing together geography, biography, and history, Jacky Colliss Harvey reconstructs the sensory and emotional experience of Pepys’s time. Full of fascinating details, Walking Pepys’s London is a sensitive exploration into the places that made the greatest English diarist of all time.

'With one's face in the wind you were almost burned with a shower of Firedrops' A selection from Pepys' startlingly vivid and candid diary, including his famous account of the Great Fire Introducing Little Black Classics: 80 books for Penguin's 80th birthday. Little Black Classics celebrate the huge range and diversity of Penguin Classics, with books from around the world and across many centuries. They take us from a balloon ride over Victorian London to a garden of blossom in Japan, from Tierra del Fuego to 16th century California and the Russian steppe. Here are stories lyrical and savage; poems epic and intimate; essays satirical and inspirational; and ideas that have shaped the lives of millions.

The social life and customs of 17th Century England are vividly portrayed in these extracts from the diary of Samuel Pepys.