List of longest diaries

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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
AuthorWord CountDurationPeriodNotes
Robert Shields 37.5 million25 years1972–1997Exact word count not available until 2049 [1]
Claude Fredericks 30 million80 years1932–2013Word count is estimated; the manuscript runs to 65,000 pages [2]
Edward Robb Ellis 22 million71 years1927–1998
Tony Benn 20 million [3] 69 years1940–2009
Arthur Crew Inman 17 million44 years1919–1963
Nella Last 12 million [4] 28 years1939–1967Participant in Mass Observation program
Ellsworth James5.9 million63 years1944–2007Word count does not include first year (1944) which was handwritten. 1946-2007 manually typed.[5]
Dr. John Henry Salter10 Million83 years1849–1932Doctor, of Tolleshunt D'Arcy, Essex. Noted by Matthews. [5]
Beatrice Webb 1.79 million70 years1873–1943Diaries available online. [6]
Joseph Holloway25 million45 years1899–1944Irish playgoer. Published diaries 1899 to 1944. [7] [8]
Heinrich Witt18 million70 years1859–1890Heinrich Witt (1799–1892) was born in Germany, lived in Peru, & wrote in English. [9]
George C. Edler2.859 million80 years1907–198776 volumes. [10] 1987 & 1988 Guinness book of world records has different dates.
Henry David Thoreau 2 million25 years1837–1861Over 2 million words in 39 notebooks. [11] [12]
John Gadd4 million [13] 45 years1975–2020Started in 1947 [14] but kept consistently from 1975 [15]
Ernest Achey Loftus Unknown91 years1896–1987 Guinness World Record for longest kept diary [16] [17]
William Lyon Mackenzie King Unknown57 years1893–1950Word count not stated; the manuscript exceeds 50,000 pages [18]

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.


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References

  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. ↑ Cronenwett, Philip. "Dear Diary…" . Retrieved 20 November 2024.
  11. ↑ Blythe, Ronald (1989). The pleasures of diaries: Four centuries of private writing. New York: Pantheon Books. p. 106.
  12. ↑ Mallon, Thomas (1985). A book of one’s own: People and their diaries. London: Pan Books. p. 76.
  13. ↑ Filbert, Jim (27 March 2024). "Oh, my word!". Pike County Express. p. 6.
  14. ↑ Evans, Mike (23 December 2014). "Meet Mr. Gadd, 83, of Fontwell Magna in Dorset" . Retrieved 8 September 2022.
  15. ↑ de Bruxelles, Simon (10 August 2013). "Diaries record a life in mind numbing detail". The Times. Retrieved 8 September 2022.
  16. ↑ "Longest kept diary". Guinness World Records. Retrieved 8 September 2022.
  17. ↑ Loftus, Ernest. Diary 1986. Thurrock Museum. The final extant diary is for 1986, final entry is on Wednesday 31 December. Inspection made 9 July 2024.
  18. ↑ "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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