Diaries of Note
366 Lives, One Day at a Time
Published on 9. October 2025
Book
Hardback
480 pages
978-0-571-39022-9 (ISBN)
Description
'Captures moments in time like nothing else.' RICHARD E. GRANT
'Intimate . . . and rarely predictable.' MICHAEL PALIN
'Completely fascinating and inspiring. Completely addictive.' STEPHEN FRY
'A volume to treasure, sigh and snigger over.' BIDISHA
An engrossing collection of the most remarkable diary writing - by the famous, infamous and everyman alike - curated by the creator of the globally bestselling Letters of Note.
What is more intimate than the diary? Across human history, people have kept these repositories of their most unvarnished truths, poignant hopes, hidden desires and deepest fears. In Diaries of Note, Shaun Usher collects 366 captivating diary entries, each with a different author.
The diary welcomes all to its pages. Here we encounter reflections from world leaders, artists, scientists, writers and icons of film and music - including Alan Rickman, Frederick Douglass, Virginia Woolf, Louis Theroux and Emma Thompson - alongside those who were never illuminated by fame, but whose writings reveal them as extraordinary. Beautifully illustrated, this book is a testament to the power of personal narratives, reflecting and encapsulating our deepest, and often most secret, emotions.
'Intimate . . . and rarely predictable.' MICHAEL PALIN
'Completely fascinating and inspiring. Completely addictive.' STEPHEN FRY
'A volume to treasure, sigh and snigger over.' BIDISHA
An engrossing collection of the most remarkable diary writing - by the famous, infamous and everyman alike - curated by the creator of the globally bestselling Letters of Note.
What is more intimate than the diary? Across human history, people have kept these repositories of their most unvarnished truths, poignant hopes, hidden desires and deepest fears. In Diaries of Note, Shaun Usher collects 366 captivating diary entries, each with a different author.
The diary welcomes all to its pages. Here we encounter reflections from world leaders, artists, scientists, writers and icons of film and music - including Alan Rickman, Frederick Douglass, Virginia Woolf, Louis Theroux and Emma Thompson - alongside those who were never illuminated by fame, but whose writings reveal them as extraordinary. Beautifully illustrated, this book is a testament to the power of personal narratives, reflecting and encapsulating our deepest, and often most secret, emotions.
More details
Edition
Main
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Dimensions
Height: 245 mm
Width: 165 mm
Thickness: 47 mm
Weight
716 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-571-39022-9 (9780571390229)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
E-Book
10/2025
Faber & Faber
€22.99
Available for download
Person
Shaun Usher's obsession with old-fashioned correspondence began when he fell in love with his future wife, Karina, by letter in 2002. This ultimately led to the 2009 launch of Letters of Note, an online museum of 'correspondence deserving of a wider audience', which to date has been visited more than 100 million times. In 2013, the first Letters of Note book was published to wide acclaim. It soon became an international bestseller and inspired Letters Live, a star-studded live show in which letters are brought to life on stage. After years of preparation, his latest project, Diaries of Note, launched online on 1 January 2023 and commenced a daily dive into the lives of others, as recorded in their private moments.