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List of longest diaries

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is a list of diaries notable for their exceptional length, primarily by word count but also duration.

Table of diaries sortable by word count and duration
Author Word Count Duration Period Notes
Robert Shields 37.5 million 25 years 1972–1997 Exact word count not available until 2049[1]
Claude Fredericks 30 million 80 years 1932–2013 Word count is estimated; the manuscript runs to 65,000 pages[2]
Edward Robb Ellis 22 million 71 years 1927–1998
Tony Benn 20 million[3] 69 years 1940–2009
Arthur Crew Inman 17 million 44 years 1919–1963
Nella Last 12 million[4] 28 years 1939–1967 Participant in Mass Observation program
Ellsworth James 5.9 million 63 years 1944–2007 Word count does not include first year (1944) which was handwritten. 1946-2007 manually typed.[5]
Dr. John Henry Salter 10 Million 83 years 1849–1932 Doctor, of Tolleshunt D'Arcy, Essex. Noted by Matthews.[5]
Beatrice Webb 1.79 million 70 years 1873–1943 Diaries available online.[6]
Joseph Holloway 25 million 45 years 1899–1944 Irish playgoer. Published diaries 1899 to 1944.[7] [8]
Heinrich Witt 18 million 70 years 1859–1890 Heinrich Witt (1799–1892) was born in Germany, lived in Peru, & wrote in English.[9]
John Gadd 4 million[10] 45 years 1975–2020 Started in 1947[11] but kept consistently from 1975[12]
Ernest Achey Loftus Unknown 91 years 1896–1987 Guinness World Record for longest kept diary[13]
William Lyon Mackenzie King Unknown 57 years 1893–1950 Word count not stated; the manuscript exceeds 50,000 pages[14]

William Matthews, in his British diaries: An annotated bibliography of British diaries written between 1442 and 1942 (University of California Press, Berkeley and Los Angeles, 1950) lists 400 diaries with a duration of 30 years or more.


References

[edit]
  1. ^ Martin, Douglas (29 October 2007). "Robert Shields, Wordy Diarist, Dies at 89". New York Times. Retrieved 8 September 2022.
  2. ^ Anastas, Benjamin. "The Most Ambitious Diary in History". The New Yorker. No. 1 November 2021. Retrieved 8 September 2022.
  3. ^ Wilby, Peter. "Tony Benn: Peter Wilby reads the diaries". The Guardian. No. 22 March 2014. Retrieved 2 June 2023.
  4. ^ Meschia, Karen (2010-07-01). "Naomi the Poet and Nella the Housewife: Finding a Space to Write from: The Wartime Diaries of Naomi Mitchison and Nella Last". Miranda (2). doi:10.4000/miranda.1238. ISSN 2108-6559.
  5. ^ Matthews, William (1950). British diaries: An annotated bibliography of British diaries written between 1442 and 1942. Berkeley and Los Angeles: University of California Press. p.259.
  6. ^ "Beatrice Webb's Diaries". LSE Digital Library. Retrieved 15 November 2024.
  7. ^ Havlice, Patricia Pate (1987). And so to bed. A bibliography of diaries published in English (1987). Metuchen, N.J., & London: The Scarecrow Press, Inc. p.387
  8. ^ Hogan, Robert; O'Neill, Michael J. (1967). Joseph Holloway’s Abbey Theatre. A selection from his unpublished journal, Impressions of a Dublin Playgoer. Cardondale & Edwardsville: Southern Illinois University Press. p.vi
  9. ^ Mücke, Ulrich (2016). The Diary of Heinrich Witt (vol. 1). Leiden & Boston: Brill. ISBN 978-90-04-27315-3.
  10. ^ Filbert, Jim (27 March 2024). "Oh, my word!". Pike County Express. p. 6.
  11. ^ Evans, Mike (23 December 2014). "Meet Mr. Gadd, 83, of Fontwell Magna in Dorset". Retrieved 8 September 2022.
  12. ^ de Bruxelles, Simon (10 August 2013). "Diaries record a life in mind numbing detail". The Times. Retrieved 8 September 2022.
  13. ^ "Longest kept diary". Guinness World Records. Retrieved 8 September 2022.
  14. ^ "Diaries of William Lyon Mackenzie King". Library and Archives Canada. February 28, 2013. Archived from the original on 16 April 2018. Retrieved 17 April 2018.
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