Samuel Pepys's Diary stands with Shakespeare and the King James Bible as an indisputable treasure of English literature. As a picture of England, and especially of London, in the age of King Charles II, of Wren and Newton and Nell Gwyn, of the Plague and the Great Fire, it is a rare and honest report that charts the key events of the day. In this book, Richard Ollard introduces the man himself, his friends and acquaintances - including Edward Montagu, 1st Earl of Sandwich, Charles II and John Evelyn - who Pepys wrote about with such humour and abandon. Illustrated with painted portraits, busts, engravings, and an extract from the Diary in Pepys's original shorthand, this is a highly visual book that charts those men and women who surrounded Pepys.

The National Portrait Gallery's series of compact, fully illustrated, historical guides to literary and artistic personalities and themes. Written by well known contemporary authors, they examine the lives, thoughts and relationships within each selected group through works from the Gallery's Collection.