Reference+&+Non-Fiction+Sources

Primary sources include diaries and other witness accounts of an event. Here are three primary sources that can help illustrate what happened during the Great Fire of London and provide information about the people living at the time of the fire.
 * Primary Sources in Print: **

Pepys, Samuel. //The Diary of Samuel Pepys: A New and Complete Transcription;// ed. Robert Latham, and William Matthews, et al.. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press, 2000. Call No. 828 P425 1970 Annotation: Samuel Pepys lived in England from 1633 to 1703 and witnessed the Great Fire of London. He recorded what he saw in his diary. Volume 7 covers the year of the Great Fire.

Evelyn, John. //Diary.// London: Oxford University Press, 1959. Call No. B Evelyn INA Annotation: This is a copy of the diary of John Evelyn who recorded his observations during the Great Fire of London. This book is located at the Central Library branch and can only be used in the library.

Dunn, Jane. //Read My Heart: A Love Story in England’s Age of Revolution//. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2008. Call No. 942.0609 D923 2008 Annotation: This book tells the story of Sir William Temple and his courtship and marriage to Dorothy Osborne. Their story covers the period of civil war in England, the plague and the Great Fire of London. The book combines storytelling from the author as well as from the letters and diaries of Sir William Temple and Dorothy Osborne. This book is located at the North Natomas Branch. Please be sure to request it ahead of time.

Secondary sources include books that were written about an event, often much later.
 * Secondary Sources in Print: **

Hart, Roger. //English Life in the Seventeenth Century//. New York: Putnam, 1971. Call No. 942.06 H326 Annotation: This book includes many primary source materials in one location including documents, paintings and letters to illustrate the civil war in England and the plague and Great Fire in London.

Alcraft, Rob, and Louise Spilsbury. //Fire Disasters//. Chicago: Heinemann Library, 2000. Call No. J 363.37 A355 2000 Annotation: This book discusses many fires that were considered major disasters at the time, including The Great Fire of London. This book is located at the Franklin Library Branch. Please be sure to request it ahead of time.

Hanson, Neil. //The Great Fire of London: In That Apocalyptic Year, 1666//. New York: John Wiley & Sons, 2002. Call No. 942.12 H251 2002 Annotation: This book is a non-fiction, well-researched account of the fire that follows a storytelling narrative. It is somewhat advanced, but is a detailed and well-constructed account of the event.

**Additional Non-Fiction Titles For More Advanced Readers**: Hollis, Leo. //London Rising: The Men Who Made Modern London//. New York: Walker & Co., 2008. Call No. 942.12 W945zh 2008 Annotation: This book discusses London before the fire and the subsequent rebuilding of London after the fire that fell to the men who rebuilt the City: philosopher John Locke, diarist John Evelyn, architect Robert Hooke, developer Nicholas Barbon, and Christopher Wren, who rebuilt St. Paul’s Cathedral.

Tinniswood, Adrian. //By Permission of Heaven: The Story of the Great Fire of London//. New York: Riverhead Books, 2004. Call No. 942.12 T591 2004 Annotation: This account of the fire focuses on the lives of the everyday people that were affected by the fire. The book provides an account of the fear, anger and despair that came after the fire and the search for a scapegoat once the fire was finally out. This is a well-told and moving non-fiction account of the Great Fire.

Cowie, Leonard W. //Plague and Fire, London 1665-66,//. New York: Putnam, 1970. Call No. 942.1 C874 Annotation: This book describes the events in London during the plague outbreak followed by the Great Fire. This book includes illustrations and maps.

**Further Reading** (these books are not currently owned by the library but may be available at your school library): Robson, Pam. //All about the Great Fire of London//. London: Hachette Children’s Books, 2007. Shields, Charles J. //The Great Plague and Fire of London//. London: Chelsea House Publications, 2001. Alagna, Magdalena. //The Great Fire of London of 1666//. New York: Rosen Central, 2004.

These three sample articles were located using search terms outlined in the Searching For Library Sources page using the Academic Search database.
 * Articles **

Elliot, Charles. “Samuel Pepys' London Chronicles.” //Smithsonian// 32,4 (2001) pg. 102-109. Annotation: This article is about Samuel Pepys and what his life was like in London at the time. There are several illustrations.

Dorn, Jennifer. "Churches." //British Heritage// 27, 2 (2006): pg. 50-59. Annotation: This article examines the work of Sir Christopher Wren and his role in rebuilding London after the Great Fire.

Skurdenis, Julie. “Strolling Through London.” //British Heritage//, 21, 6 (2000): pg. 44-51. Annotation: This article describes the history of a medieval section of London and the impact of the Great Fire.