So I recently read John Evelyn’s first hand account of the great fire of London in 1666 and it was a really awesome window into what it was like to be someone just living and thinking at that time. It really showed me how little has changed with humans since that point in history. Anyway, the account really piqued my interest and I’m cute curious as where’s one could find other similar first hand accounts throughout history such as that one? I really enjoy history but often reading about it gives off this detached feeling as opposed to feeling almost like you are really there the way Evelyn’s account does. I appreciate any advice given, thank you in advance
One source are oral histories that are available online. They contain transcripts and sometimes the actual audio of someone reminiscing about life in a particular era.
Berkeley and UK are 2 examples, but there are many more based in universities that are findable by Google: http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/libraries/bancroft-library/oral-history-center and http://libraries.uky.edu/nunncenter
Samuel Pepys kept a diary around the same time (1660's) which gives a first hand account of the plague, the fire and general life. Though if you've read John Evelyn you may already be familiar with Pepys.
I really appreciate all the input, thank you all very much! You've given me some great sources to check out, I can't wait to get started