Robert Latham (editor)
Encyclopedia
Robert Clifford Latham, CBE
(1973), MA, FBA (1982) was Fellow
and Pepys Librarian of Magdalene College, Cambridge
and joint author of the The Diary of Samuel Pepys
, 1970-83.
. His son is Sir David Latham QC
, Chairman of the Parole Board
.
Educated at Wolstanton
Grammar School
, Newcastle-under-Lyme
, Staffordshire and Queens' College, Cambridge
where he received a double First Class Honours Degree
in history.
, and a Lecturer in 1939. He was Reader
in History (1947-1972) and Dean
of Men (1965-1968) at Royal Holloway College, University of London
, during the introduction of male undergraduates. From 1968-69 he was Professor
of History at the University of Toronto
.
From 1970-72 he was Research Fellow
, 1972-84 Fellow and 1984-94 Hon Fellow of Magdalene College, Cambridge, where, as Pepys Librarian 1972-82, he had charge of the remarkable collection of books, prints and manuscripts which Pepys left to his old College. He devoted the greater part of his life to the study of the Diary. Linnet, his second wife, worked with him during the compilation of the Index and Companion volumes of the definitive edition of The Diary of Samuel Pepys.
His work, in collaboration with Professor Willam Matthews of UCLA, The Diary of Samuel Pepys - A New and Complete Transcription, published by 1970–83, was begun in 1950. Robert Latham stated: This was the first edition in which the entire text was printed and a comprehensive commentary published. This included the erotic passages omitted in the edition of 1893-9 by H B Wheatley which: could hardly have been published in Victorian England without causing offence.
The Diary was described in a Times
review by Bernard Levin
as:
CBE
CBE and C.B.E. are abbreviations for "Commander of the Order of the British Empire", a grade in the Order of the British Empire.Other uses include:* Chemical and Biochemical Engineering...
(1973), MA, FBA (1982) was Fellow
Fellow
A fellow in the broadest sense is someone who is an equal or a comrade. The term fellow is also used to describe a person, particularly by those in the upper social classes. It is most often used in an academic context: a fellow is often part of an elite group of learned people who are awarded...
and Pepys Librarian of Magdalene College, Cambridge
Magdalene College, Cambridge
Magdalene College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England.The college was founded in 1428 as a Benedictine hostel, in time coming to be known as Buckingham College, before being refounded in 1542 as the College of St Mary Magdalene...
and joint author of the The Diary of Samuel Pepys
Samuel Pepys
Samuel Pepys FRS, MP, JP, was an English naval administrator and Member of Parliament who is now most famous for the diary he kept for a decade while still a relatively young man...
, 1970-83.
Personal life
He married 1: Eileen Ramsay, 1939, died 1969 (one son, one daughter); 2: Rosalind (‘Linnet’) Birley 1973, died 1990, suicideSuicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
. His son is Sir David Latham QC
Queen's Counsel
Queen's Counsel , known as King's Counsel during the reign of a male sovereign, are lawyers appointed by letters patent to be one of Her [or His] Majesty's Counsel learned in the law...
, Chairman of the Parole Board
Parole Board
A parole board is a panel of people who decide whether an offender should be released from prison on parole after serving at least a minimum portion of their sentence as prescribed by the sentencing judge. Parole boards are used in many jurisdictions, including the United Kingdom and the United...
.
Educated at Wolstanton
Wolstanton Rural District
Wolstanton was a rural district in Staffordshire, England from 1894 to 1904. It was created by the Local Government Act 1894 based on Wolstanton rural sanitary district....
Grammar School
Grammar school
A grammar school is one of several different types of school in the history of education in the United Kingdom and some other English-speaking countries, originally a school teaching classical languages but more recently an academically-oriented secondary school.The original purpose of mediaeval...
, Newcastle-under-Lyme
Newcastle-under-Lyme
Newcastle-under-Lyme is a market town in Staffordshire, England, and is the principal town of the Borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme. It is part of The Potteries Urban Area and North Staffordshire. In the 2001 census the town had a population of 73,944...
, Staffordshire and Queens' College, Cambridge
Queens' College, Cambridge
Queens' College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England.The college was founded in 1448 by Margaret of Anjou , and refounded in 1465 by Elizabeth Woodville...
where he received a double First Class Honours Degree
British undergraduate degree classification
The British undergraduate degree classification system is a grading scheme for undergraduate degrees in the United Kingdom...
in history.
Academic career
In 1935 he was appointed an Assistant Lecturer at King's College LondonKing's College London
King's College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and a constituent college of the federal University of London. King's has a claim to being the third oldest university in England, having been founded by King George IV and the Duke of Wellington in 1829, and...
, and a Lecturer in 1939. He was Reader
Reader (academic rank)
The title of Reader in the United Kingdom and some universities in the Commonwealth nations like Australia and New Zealand denotes an appointment for a senior academic with a distinguished international reputation in research or scholarship...
in History (1947-1972) and Dean
Dean (education)
In academic administration, a dean is a person with significant authority over a specific academic unit, or over a specific area of concern, or both...
of Men (1965-1968) at Royal Holloway College, University of London
University of London
-20th century:Shortly after 6 Burlington Gardens was vacated, the University went through a period of rapid expansion. Bedford College, Royal Holloway and the London School of Economics all joined in 1900, Regent's Park College, which had affiliated in 1841 became an official divinity school of the...
, during the introduction of male undergraduates. From 1968-69 he was Professor
Professor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
of History at the University of Toronto
University of Toronto
The University of Toronto is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution of higher learning in Upper Canada...
.
From 1970-72 he was Research Fellow
Fellow
A fellow in the broadest sense is someone who is an equal or a comrade. The term fellow is also used to describe a person, particularly by those in the upper social classes. It is most often used in an academic context: a fellow is often part of an elite group of learned people who are awarded...
, 1972-84 Fellow and 1984-94 Hon Fellow of Magdalene College, Cambridge, where, as Pepys Librarian 1972-82, he had charge of the remarkable collection of books, prints and manuscripts which Pepys left to his old College. He devoted the greater part of his life to the study of the Diary. Linnet, his second wife, worked with him during the compilation of the Index and Companion volumes of the definitive edition of The Diary of Samuel Pepys.
His work, in collaboration with Professor Willam Matthews of UCLA, The Diary of Samuel Pepys - A New and Complete Transcription, published by 1970–83, was begun in 1950. Robert Latham stated: This was the first edition in which the entire text was printed and a comprehensive commentary published. This included the erotic passages omitted in the edition of 1893-9 by H B Wheatley which: could hardly have been published in Victorian England without causing offence.
The Diary was described in a Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
review by Bernard Levin
Bernard Levin
Henry Bernard Levin CBE was an English journalist, author and broadcaster, described by The Times as "the most famous journalist of his day". The son of a poor Jewish family in London, he won a scholarship to the independent school Christ's Hospital and went on to the London School of Economics,...
as:
"[...] the absolutely complete and unimprovably definitive edition [...] so exceptional that it can be said to have set new standards of scholarship".The index to the Diary series completed with his wife, Linnet, is a full volume itself, made up of about 900 pages.