Just watched a drama about Samuel Pepys whilst making brandy chocolate truffles for Christmas – not the best of dramas – could have done with a bit more diarising and a little less debauchery I thought – but quite good fun all the same.
It did however, make me think how Sam Pepys would have relished LiveJournal and other creations of this ilk. It also made me think how this *new* thing that is *blogging* has given the world a renewed quantity of diaries and journals. I can remember when it was just thirteen year old girls who would write *diaries* – now everyone seems to be doing it. Hrm… I wonder what the actual figures are? I wonder if this post is making sense?
…time for bed, me thinks…
I’ve actually read a lot of Samuel Pepys’s diary, and I also love reading the old journals of people in general … Most recently I read George Sand’s. I’m always thinking about how it would translate to Live Journal, and I often find it amusing to imagine what kind of “comments” people would leave on certain entries. 🙂
Your post made perfect sense to me. 🙂
Pepys’ Diary is one of those books that I have intended to read all my life, and haven’t yet got round to doing so. I would also like to read his new biography, but I would prefer to read his words first. If anybody’s listening – Christmas present idea? 🙂
It was a book I’d always been meaning to read too, but I ended up getting it for free from The Folio Society with the purchase of some other books. 🙂 The Folio Society is great about giving really, really nice books for free when you buy other things. 🙂
I didn’t know that The Folio Society operated in America as well. I joined a few years ago and bought lots of lovely books, but I don’t know if she actually ever read any of them 🙁
Oooh! How lovely that you’re a member, too. 🙂 They really do have the most beautiful editions, don’t they? I recently got The Complete Oscar Wilde and A Christmas Carol for free from them when I purchased The Barbarian Envasion of the Roman Empire for my dad. 🙂
I’m sure Rachel appreciated your generosity; she’s such a wonderfully sweet person, as I’m sure you know best; and who knows, she may have read them. 🙂
I just looked up the society online – it looks like they operate all over the world! – for some reason, I thought that they were limited to the UK. I stopped being a member a while ago, and they keep asking me to rejoin, and I’ve been reluctant, because I didn’t know what would be in the current prospectus – not realising that they’ve come into the 21st century and have put it all online. Doh!
Oh, it’s understandable. I’ve often been surprised at discovering what operates world wide, nationally, or locally when I thought it was something else. 🙂 So do you think you may rejoin The Folio Society?
I joined The Folio Society year or so ago in order to get their opening deal of various Arthur Rackham and Edmund Dulac illustrated childrens books for a fiver or some such amount. I continued on and bought the four books necessary to complete the membership, including a very nice Travels with a Donkey illustrated by Edward Aardizoni – and they’ve continued to send me more opportunities to rejoin but the deal hasn’t come up.
I’m very tempted – this time, I might buy some books for me (hee hee). I won’t go for the latest special offer though, because we already have the Robert Graves “Greek Myths”.
You can still get the deal that I went for:
Check out http://www.foliosoc.co.uk/offers/details.php?OfferCode=3Z50 and then run off and get your credit card…
he he
But that means I would have to get the Greek Myths again…
It is a bloody good bargain, though.
Anyone else want a copy of the Greek Myths? Parent’s, children, friends – co-workers in need of a classical education?!
Well, I really would love to have the Fairy Tales, particularly as I remember reading the same editions when I was a wee little thing – are Folio’s online offers usually this good? because maybe I could wait until next month and see what comes up. I would love the Shakespeare as well. Make my mind up for me, Thomas!
Well that offer has probably been around now for about two years, so you should be able to wait another month… *grins*
I can’t see another offer that’s going to tempt me in yet, but I shall keep my eye on it…
Just remembered that I never got back to you about “Dark Materials” – reason was, all the Saturdays were booked up and I was trying to work out when would be the best 2 nights/days to go and see it – then of course it was announced that the opening would be put back to the New Year.
Oh, I didn’t know the opening had been put back? Thanks for thinking about me though – me mum and dad were (surprisingly) not that keen to go and see it…
It might have been a bit of an ordeal for them. Also, the trouble with theatre compared to cinema is that you can put off deciding whether or not to see a much-publicised film, because no matter how successful it is, you will have no trouble being able to eventually get to see it – compare that with a successful theatre production – ok – 8 performances a week times 50 weeks (to make the sums simpler) = 400 performances a year. Now imagine a 2,000 seat theatre filled to capacity for each of those 400 performances = 800,000 – a lot of bums on seats, but still.. – so your chances of getting to see a popular play are so much less than seeing a film. If I were to wait until “Dark Materials” previews before deciding whether or not to go, I would have zero chance of buying tickets; if I buy the tickets “sight unseen” as it were, I’m taking a risk on what might be a turkey – which is alright if you’re paying 6 quid for a movie, but not so alright if you’re shelling out 20,30,40 quid for a play (and multiply that by a family!). Eek. I hate money. I hate reading about idiotic Victoria Beckham buying a dozen pairs of £150 sunglasses today because she couldn’t decide which ones she wanted (and her husband already has dozens of pairs from Pilot, because he gets them free!…). Bah.
Hmmn… I do want to see the plays. I just can’t decide whether to try and go for the double-bill matinee and evening performance, or make two trips into London.
This is where living out in the sticks is a problem…
By the way, have you tried doing the *100 Things* meme I posted in my journal? It’s quite an interesting, thought-provoking excercise – and fun too! 🙂
Did you ever do my 50 things meme?
Tit for tat – I’ll do yours if you do mine.
*handshake?*
50 things meme? I don’t remember that, and now I can’t find it… 🙁
Apparently you can get together with someone to play The Folio Society off against each other. You join, invite a friend, get a free book for doing it. Your membership lapses, the person you got to join invites you back, you join, they get their free book, and so it goes on… 😉
You are not only wise; you are cunning too!
The Claire Tomalin biog? Yes, I’d like to read that, too! I feel sure I’d probably actually get round to reading Pepys’ diaries with a good biography as a taster…
Hmm, maybe that is the way to go.
Guess whose books I’m going to check out next?
Three guesses…
🙂