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James Lees-Milne Complete Diaries
A Mingled Measure: Diaries, 1953-1972
This text continues the sequence that established James Lees-Milne as a well-known 20th-century diarist. The author has ceased to work full-time for the National Trust and we now see him in kaleidoscopically varied company, including Colette, Oswald Mosley and John Betjeman.
256 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1994
2 people are currently reading
50 people want to read
About the author
James Lees-Milne
81 books20 followersJames Lees-Milne (1908-1997) was an English writer and expert on country houses.
Biography
He was a noted biographer and historian, and is also considered one of the twentieth century's great diarists. He came from a family of landed gentry and grew up in Worcestershire. He attended Lockers Park Prep School, Eton and Oxford University. In 1936 he was appointed secretary of the Country House Committee of the National Trust, and he held that position until 1950 apart from a period of military service from 1939-1941. He was instrumental in the first large scale transfer of country houses from private ownership to the Trust. After resigning his full-time position in 1950 he continued his connection with the National Trust as a part time architectural consultant.
He resided on the Badminton Estate in Gloucestershire for most of his later years while working in William Thomas Beckford's library at Lansdown Crescent at Bath. He was a friend of many of the most prominent British intellectual and social figures of his day, including Nancy Mitford, Harold Nicolson (about whom he wrote a two-volume biography), and Cyril Connolly. He married Alvilde Chaplin, formerly Bridges, a prominent gardening and landscape expert, in 1951.
From 1947 Lees-Milne published a series of architectural works aimed primarily at the general reader. He was also a diarist, and his diaries were published in many volumes and were well received, in later years attracting a cult following. His other works included several biographies and an autobiographical novel.
Biography
He was a noted biographer and historian, and is also considered one of the twentieth century's great diarists. He came from a family of landed gentry and grew up in Worcestershire. He attended Lockers Park Prep School, Eton and Oxford University. In 1936 he was appointed secretary of the Country House Committee of the National Trust, and he held that position until 1950 apart from a period of military service from 1939-1941. He was instrumental in the first large scale transfer of country houses from private ownership to the Trust. After resigning his full-time position in 1950 he continued his connection with the National Trust as a part time architectural consultant.
He resided on the Badminton Estate in Gloucestershire for most of his later years while working in William Thomas Beckford's library at Lansdown Crescent at Bath. He was a friend of many of the most prominent British intellectual and social figures of his day, including Nancy Mitford, Harold Nicolson (about whom he wrote a two-volume biography), and Cyril Connolly. He married Alvilde Chaplin, formerly Bridges, a prominent gardening and landscape expert, in 1951.
From 1947 Lees-Milne published a series of architectural works aimed primarily at the general reader. He was also a diarist, and his diaries were published in many volumes and were well received, in later years attracting a cult following. His other works included several biographies and an autobiographical novel.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
April 23, 2022
A treasure of observations of England and France in the 50's and 60's by an old-fashioned charming student of people and architecture. This site says it better than I can: James Lees-Milne was surely one of the greatest diarists of the century. As a key member of the fledgling National Trust, he spent years inspecting historic buildings offered by eccentric or impecunious owners to the NT and he recorded his observations in several volumes which bristle with wit, malice, gossip and (often scandalous) anecdote. Lees-Milne loved fine objects and weird people in equal measure and he wrote about both with unfailing grace and acuity.
http://www.johnsandoe.com/profile_Lee...
http://www.johnsandoe.com/profile_Lee...
November 23, 2019
In his 60’s his entries continue to be affected and introspective. Holiday trips, estate visits, society dinners and lunches all recorded with his strong compliments or disapprovals.
He states that he must be candid in the diaries so there are some very odd candid entries. After a young girl riding a pony passes him with a casual greeting he comments: “I longed to say....’I want to hug you and whisper the nicest messages into that pink ear of yours’”.
He states that he must be candid in the diaries so there are some very odd candid entries. After a young girl riding a pony passes him with a casual greeting he comments: “I longed to say....’I want to hug you and whisper the nicest messages into that pink ear of yours’”.
March 4, 2017
A well connected life by an articulate man.
February 15, 2023
I took 12 pages of notes...how crazy is that?! 😮
James Lees-Milne “was an English writer and expert on country houses, who worked for the National Trust from 1936 to 1973. He was an architectural historian, novelist, and biographer. His extensive diaries remain in print. (from Wikipedia)
He kept a diary from 1942 to the end of 1949. He may have kept a diary from 1950-1952, but they are not published. This diary has sporadic entries from 1953 to 1971, and then daily or near-daily entries for 1972 and 1973.
I have six more volumes to go. I can honestly say that I could keep on reading this guy’s diaries forever and a day. He talks about the mundane, he drops names of famous people (like the Pope, he and some colleagues had an audience with the Pope for God’s sake (stupid pun quasi-intended)...he describes the appearance and mannerisms of people he meets that sometimes have me laugh and/or shaking my head....he philosophizes about this, that, and the other thing, he tells us what he did that day and who he met and what the weather was like. I will give examples of each below. So far I have read five of his diaries...each one takes about two months to go through for me because I read a few pages about every other day. It’s so pleasant to wake up in the morning before my run to read James Lees-Milne’s observations of his world!
The appearance and mannerisms of people he meets:
• He is 79...and his face is like a nutcracker, carelessly wrapped in parchment.
• An acquaintance of his was “shuffling like an octopus”.
• I saw Ben two days ago, looking lean, cadaverous, and extremely scruffy.
• ...long, wispy ratty hair, most unattractive, his teeth decayed and green...
He philosophizes about this, that, and the other thing:
• Have been pondering over what someone said the other day: that when one is awake at 3 a.m. then one sees life, and death, as they truly are, in their stark, terrible, hopeless reality; that at all other times of the day, one sees these infinite things through rose-colored glasses; that everyday life is the delusion, is the occupational opiate which deceives us into optimistic speculation.
• It is strange how our subconscious lives are governed by our bladder.
• I often wonder why it is that the old look forward so greedily to the newspapers, or the radio news, considering that their lives will soon be over, and future events must concern them so little, whereas the young are indifferent to the news.
He tells us what he did that day and who he met and what the weather was like
• Once of his ancestors was bequeathed several hundred acres of land on Long Island, New York, but he wanted money not land, and threw the deed in the fireplace.
• A prospective housekeeper came yesterday afternoon for an interview. The conversation and ritual are always the same. Please come into the library we both say. Did you find the way all right? Idiotic remark because otherwise they wouldn’t be here.
• Joanie Harford came to sup with us last night. Said that her Mrs. Ricketts produced a beautiful daughter by a neighbor in the nearby vicinity 25 years ago. Her husband was so angry that to punish her, as he thought, he refused ever to sleep with her again. So he removed himself to the sitting-room where to this day he sleeps in great discomfort on two chairs. Mrs. Ricketts remains in the marital bed, which is just what she always wanted, she told Joanie. The wages of sin are everlasting.
Imagine reading this stuff for some 250-300 pages. Sure, there are some boring passages...but this sort of stuff above comes frequently...it certainly holds my interest.
This dude has me for the duration. Once I am done with the final volume I will go back to the first volume, Ancestral Voices, and start over. My short long-term memory will allow me to do that, you know!
I really hope I convince at least some of my Goodreads friends to give this man a try. 🙂 🙃 I think nearly all of them are available for free at Open Library [https://openlibrary.org/].
Review:
• https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-en...
James Lees-Milne “was an English writer and expert on country houses, who worked for the National Trust from 1936 to 1973. He was an architectural historian, novelist, and biographer. His extensive diaries remain in print. (from Wikipedia)
He kept a diary from 1942 to the end of 1949. He may have kept a diary from 1950-1952, but they are not published. This diary has sporadic entries from 1953 to 1971, and then daily or near-daily entries for 1972 and 1973.
I have six more volumes to go. I can honestly say that I could keep on reading this guy’s diaries forever and a day. He talks about the mundane, he drops names of famous people (like the Pope, he and some colleagues had an audience with the Pope for God’s sake (stupid pun quasi-intended)...he describes the appearance and mannerisms of people he meets that sometimes have me laugh and/or shaking my head....he philosophizes about this, that, and the other thing, he tells us what he did that day and who he met and what the weather was like. I will give examples of each below. So far I have read five of his diaries...each one takes about two months to go through for me because I read a few pages about every other day. It’s so pleasant to wake up in the morning before my run to read James Lees-Milne’s observations of his world!
The appearance and mannerisms of people he meets:
• He is 79...and his face is like a nutcracker, carelessly wrapped in parchment.
• An acquaintance of his was “shuffling like an octopus”.
• I saw Ben two days ago, looking lean, cadaverous, and extremely scruffy.
• ...long, wispy ratty hair, most unattractive, his teeth decayed and green...
He philosophizes about this, that, and the other thing:
• Have been pondering over what someone said the other day: that when one is awake at 3 a.m. then one sees life, and death, as they truly are, in their stark, terrible, hopeless reality; that at all other times of the day, one sees these infinite things through rose-colored glasses; that everyday life is the delusion, is the occupational opiate which deceives us into optimistic speculation.
• It is strange how our subconscious lives are governed by our bladder.
• I often wonder why it is that the old look forward so greedily to the newspapers, or the radio news, considering that their lives will soon be over, and future events must concern them so little, whereas the young are indifferent to the news.
He tells us what he did that day and who he met and what the weather was like
• Once of his ancestors was bequeathed several hundred acres of land on Long Island, New York, but he wanted money not land, and threw the deed in the fireplace.
• A prospective housekeeper came yesterday afternoon for an interview. The conversation and ritual are always the same. Please come into the library we both say. Did you find the way all right? Idiotic remark because otherwise they wouldn’t be here.
• Joanie Harford came to sup with us last night. Said that her Mrs. Ricketts produced a beautiful daughter by a neighbor in the nearby vicinity 25 years ago. Her husband was so angry that to punish her, as he thought, he refused ever to sleep with her again. So he removed himself to the sitting-room where to this day he sleeps in great discomfort on two chairs. Mrs. Ricketts remains in the marital bed, which is just what she always wanted, she told Joanie. The wages of sin are everlasting.
Imagine reading this stuff for some 250-300 pages. Sure, there are some boring passages...but this sort of stuff above comes frequently...it certainly holds my interest.
This dude has me for the duration. Once I am done with the final volume I will go back to the first volume, Ancestral Voices, and start over. My short long-term memory will allow me to do that, you know!
I really hope I convince at least some of my Goodreads friends to give this man a try. 🙂 🙃 I think nearly all of them are available for free at Open Library [https://openlibrary.org/].
Review:
• https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-en...
June 19, 2021
Quite astoundingly racist -- I truly don't remember the previous books being this bad. Honestly I could barely get through it, and I think it'll be a while before I read the next one (if I ever do).
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews