Pepys and the navy

"Samuel Pepys's diary has made him a literary celebrity, yet in his own time he was known as the chief naval official under two kings, Charles II and James II. This book is the first to be devoted wholly to Pepys's absorbing professional life. Dr. Knighton draws on Pepys's own library to explore the full extent of his achievements in the creation of a permanent and professional Royal Navy." "Pepys came to the Navy Board with no maritime experience, yet his appointment as Clerk of the Acts at once involved him in all the Navy's material needs. He taught himself the job so well he outwitted senior colleagues in securing contracts and detecting frauds, and successfully managed his first great test - the Second Dutch War of 1664-7. However, the unstable political situation of the time meant Pepys's career was by no means secure. He lost office twice - during the Popish Plot, and again when James II was ousted in the Revolution of 1688. Despite these setbacks, Pepys promoted many reforms while in office - including a shipbuilding programme of unprecedented dimensions and the introduction of half-pay for officers - which were pivotal in shaping the future of the naval service. In retirement Pepys spent much of his time assembling and arranging the library which he left intact to his old college and which has become a major archive for naval history." "Pepys and the Navy will appeal to all those interested in the life of the great diarist, while also allowing naval historians to follow his career in more depth than is available in conventional biographies."--BOOK JACKET.