THE DIARY OF SAMUEL PEPYS

New York: Heritage Press, 1942. 203 x 133 mm. (8 x 5 1/4"). Two volumes. Transcribed by the Rev. Mynors Bright from the shorthand manuscript in the Pepysian Library. Edited by Henry B. Wheatley.
VERY FINE BLACK MOROCCO, HANDSOMELY GILT, BY BAYNTUN-RIVIERE, signed at foot of front pastedown, covers framed with gilt rules connecting interlacing cornerpieces, gilt pictorial centerpiece with Pepys' monogram on crossed anchors and twining rope, the whole surmounted by his motto on a scroll, raised bands, spines gilt in compartments repeating motif of cover frames and with centered "S P" monogram, wide inner gilt dentelles, marbled endpapers, all edges gilt. More than 200 illustrations by William Sharp (including first and last openings with pictorial endpapers from the original publisher's binding). Front pastedowns with the bookplate of Robert Marceau. ◆A few trivial imperfections internally, but an extremely fine copy in a most attractive binding.

In a handsome binding by a leading English workshop, this is the famous diary of Pepys (1633-1703), a work that gives us important historical detail at a time of momentous events in London--including the Great Fire and the plague--and also reveals (though not until its encoded language was deciphered in 1825) an uninhibited account of the author's private affairs..