Diaries of Note: 366 Lives, One Day at a Time

by Shaun Usher

'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.

Hardcover

Published October 9, 2025

About the author

Shaun Usher is a writer, editor, and compulsive collector of remarkable words. He is the author of Letters of Note, an international bestseller that began life as a blog and grew into a celebrated series of books and inspired the live stage show Letters Live, which he has co-produced since 2013. He has published 16 books so far, covering everything from love and grief to music, dogs, and outer space, and in October 2025 will release his 17th, Diaries of Note: 366 Lives, One Day at a Time, a curated journey through a year’s worth of diary entries from history. He lives in Manchester with his wife, Karina, and their three children.

Reviews

[Fatguyreading · Rating 5 out of 5]

Diaries of Note is a real treasure trove of collected diaries, spanning, if I'm not mistaken, the earliest by Christopher Columbus in 1492 to David Sedaris in 2009. So it takes a historical, nostalgic and contemporary looks at the dairies of quite a varied selection of society, across many centuries.

I think the art of diary writing on actual, physical paper in physical diaries is dying out, we all, in the main, share our thoughts on various forms of social media these days, so this is a wonderful look at a begone era when people committed their thoughts to paper with pen.

It's beautifully illustrated throughout with woodcut style images, and has a really handy ribbon bookmark attached. For me, this is a dippy in and out type of book, so having the attached bookmark was convenient. I just read a entry or two, or three, or more, ha ha, and flipped the bookmark at the page I stopped at. So I read this on and off over about a week or so. But that's not to say you couldn't read this cover to cover, it's certainty held my interest and attention throughout.

There's laughter within these pages, these tragedy and there's touching moments. There's intimate and personal thoughts, which all make for a wonderful melting pot of thinking.

A marvelous addition to my bookshelves.

5 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 's from me.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a lifelong journaller, I was thrilled to be sent an early-release copy of Diaries of Note. This beautiful hardback book features 366 diary entries of notable people, and it is a real wonder to read. I’ve completely loved dipping in and out of it over the past couple of weeks! (Of course, I mainly skimmed through to the famous people I know of.) I think Diaries of Note would make a truly beautiful Christmas gift for any fellow diarist: each entry contains something poignant, moving, fun, sad and, always, memorable. It serves as a beautiful reminder to us all that our one wild life is certainly worth capturing. And, since I skimmed this and ‘read’ about 35% of the book, I’m making it a ‘thing’ to read an entry a day next year. I think it’ll make a great accompaniment and inspiration for my own journal-writing practice.

[Nicola Pierce · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this - diaries might very well be my favourite type of readings. A great Christmas present for the reader in your life - you can dip in and out of it, or read it in tangent with your own day/date. Great mix of voices and experiences.