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.
| 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 |
| John Gadd | 4 million[5] | 45 years | 1975–2020 | Started in 1947[6] but kept consistently from 1975[7] |
| Ernest Achey Loftus | Unknown | 91 years | 1896–1987 | Guinness World Record for longest kept diary[8] |
| William Lyon Mackenzie King | Unknown | 57 years | 1893–1950 | Word count not stated; the manuscript exceeds 50,000 pages[9] |
References[edit]
- ^ Martin, Douglas (29 October 2007). "Robert Shields, Wordy Diarist, Dies at 89". New York Times. Retrieved 8 September 2022.
- ^ Anastas, Benjamin. "The Most Ambitious Diary in History". The New Yorker. No. 1 November 2021. Retrieved 8 September 2022.
- ^ Wilby, Peter. "Tony Benn: Peter Wilby reads the diaries". The Guardian. No. 22 March 2014. Retrieved 2 June 2023.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Eckersall, Faith (3 November 2013). "150 volumes and 33,000 pictures: meet John Gadd, the man who's written Britain's biggest personal diary". Bournemouth Echo. Retrieved 8 September 2022.
- ^ Evans, Mike. "Meet Mr. Gadd, 83, of Fontwell Magna in Dorset". Retrieved 8 September 2022.
- ^ de Bruxelles, Simon (10 August 2013). "Diaries record a life in mind numbing detail". The Times. Retrieved 8 September 2022.
- ^ "Longest kept diary". Guinness World Records. Retrieved 8 September 2022.
- ^ "Diaries of William Lyon Mackenzie King". Library and Archives Canada. Library and Archives Canada. February 28, 2013. Archived from the original on 16 April 2018. Retrieved 17 April 2018.