Six months down, 107 to go!

Half a year in… it seems like the diary’s been going a long time, but we’ve only just begun! Thanks to everyone who’s contributed annotations to the site — I’m sure I speak for many people when I say the diary has come alive thanks to the information and discussion posted over the past few months. Here are some statistics for you about the diary so far…

Comments

• N Mandella on Tue 1 Jul 2003, 09:54am

  And congratulations to you, Phil! A visit to your site has become an essential part of my morning ritual over the past 6 months, and I look forward with great pleasure to the unfolding of the diary in coming years. And as a reader rather than a contributor, many many thanks to all annotators whose comments and links keep taking me down the most fascinating alleyways. Keep up the good work!

• N Arbor on Tue 1 Jul 2003, 02:13pm

  … it is now my homepage. The first thing I do each morning! Again… thanks Phil!

• N anthony on Tue 1 Jul 2003, 09:58pm

  Likewise, congratulations…this place is always my first online port of call.

  I’ve glanced at the printed versions of the Diary before, but inevitably you end up skimming and skipping. This way you feel things unfold.

  Who’d have thought the internet would have given us the benefit of Slow for once ?

• N Robert Cone on Wed 2 Jul 2003, 09:19pm

  I’ve enjoyed the diary more than anything on the net ever, and have made it my home page. The chief pleasure is the timelessness (and timeliness) of the entries, that greatly resemble in style and often in substance, those seen on my previous home page, Yahoo News.

• N Jenny Doughty on Wed 2 Jul 2003, 10:47pm

  Couldn’t agree more Robert. It’s the one day at a time thing that makes it much more fun to read, and it’s my first port of call for the day when I turn the computer on.

• N Barbara on Thu 3 Jul 2003, 12:33pm

  I try to save reading it until I have my lunchtime sandwich, but usually can’t wait that long. I love the diaries, and re-read the L&M version regularly, especially my favourite years (1660, 1965, 1666). The amazing background knowledge and links to other sites add greatly to my enjoyment.
  I’m dithering about when to retire: when I do I plan to follow all the links. Many, many thanks, Paul.

• N language hat on Fri 4 Jul 2003, 02:40am

  Funny, I read it in the evening, when I can savor it.
  I add my deep thanks, Phil. You’re a real benefactor.

• N peter mehlin on Fri 4 Jul 2003, 08:52pm

  Yes, yes, yes, many many thanks. I have never felt such a sense of history. I always read it at least a day or two behind to take advantage of all the smart annotations.

• N mary house on Sat 5 Jul 2003, 08:47pm

  I too read the diary in the evening. I sit in the dark in the library with only the computer screen aglow and I feel I’m time traveling to the 17th century. Thanks Phil.
  

• N Glenn Collins on Sun 6 Jul 2003, 05:13pm

  Many thanks for all the efforts to bring the Diary to an environment where Pepys fans can identify themselves to others as well as contribute to a collective passion. I am an avid reader of the Latham and Matthews text - 1664 so far. Your site brings it all to life. Thanks.

• N Laura K on Mon 7 Jul 2003, 02:36pm

  Has it been six months already?

  This site never ceases to amaze me. Unlike most readers (from what I gather), I read a week’s worth of Diary entries in one sitting. It’s like a chapter in a book, or an installment in a serial drama.

  As I go about my day, many things make me think of Sam and his world. That speaks to how the Diary has become part of my life!

  Phil: thank you, thank you, thank you!!

• N David Cooper on Mon 7 Jul 2003, 07:36pm

  We treasure this bit of England now that we reside in the US. Many thanks.

• N PHE on Mon 7 Jul 2003, 09:29pm

  A superb site Phil
  Its ironic that 20th century technology has proved (for me at least) the best way of fully appreciating a 17th century diary. Despite having read much of the diary before, its seeing it day-by-day that I feel I get a real sense of the development of Sam’s life and career, as well as a chance to take in the detail. I often don’t manage to view the site every day, and then feel guilty for neglecting ‘our friend’ when several days have passed!