The Writings of John Evelyn

by John Evelyn

Today John Evelyn is known almost exclusively for his Diary , the remarkable record of his life at the centre of English social and political life in the seventeenth century; his other literary works have received scant attention. The Writings of John Evelyn is the first serious attempt to make a selection of his works available for modern scrutiny. It covers as representative a range as possible of Evelyn's books and tracts, from the first edition of his work on arboriculture, Sylva (1664), and his invective on London's pollution, Fumifugium (1661), which has acquired a new relevance, to his memorial to his son Richard, The Golden Book of St John of Chrysostom (1659). Also included are political tracts and his comic account of England under the Commonwealth, A Character of England (1656).
The editor has written a full introduction to Evelyn's literary career, and each piece is accompanied by an individual introduction and extensive footnotes.
Guy de la Bédoyre gained his Masters Degree from London University.

435 pages, Hardcover

First published August 3, 1995

About the author

John Evelyn was an English writer, gardener and diarist.

Evelyn's diaries or Memoirs are largely contemporaneous with those of the other noted diarist of the time, Samuel Pepys, and cast considerable light on the art, culture and politics of the time (he witnessed the deaths of Charles I and Oliver Cromwell, the last Great Plague of London, and the Great Fire of London in 1666). Over the years, Evelyn’s Diary has been over-shadowed by Pepys's chronicles of 17th-century life. Evelyn and Pepys corresponded frequently and much of this correspondence has been preserved.