Diary: Anne Lister Code

by Anne Lister

Learn to write in Anne Lister's Code! Anne Lister is renowned for recording so much of her illustrious life in her famous diaries. Much of her writing was done in the code that she devised herself. Anne's diaries have huge historical and cultural importance as they give a window into the life of the "first modern lesbian"- how she lived, her hopes and aspirations and how she dealt with day to day life. This notebook includes Anne Lister's Code and some basic words to start you off.
Perfect gift for any Anne Lister fan, or treat yourself.

153 pages, Paperback

Published April 6, 2019

About the author

Anne Lister (1791–1840) was a well-off Yorkshire landowner, diarist and traveller. Throughout her life she kept diaries which chronicled the details of her everyday life, including her lesbian relationships, her financial concerns, her industrial activities and her work improving Shibden Hall. Her diaries contain more than 4,000,000 words and about a sixth of them—those concerning the intimate details of her romantic and sexual relationships—were written in code. The code, derived from a combination of algebra and Ancient Greek, was deciphered in the 1930s. Lister is often called "the first modern lesbian" for her clear self-knowledge and openly lesbian lifestyle. Called "Fred" by her lover and "Gentleman Jack" by Halifax residents, she suffered from harassment for her sexuality, and recognised her similarity to the Ladies of Llangollen, whom she visited.