Diaries of Anne Lister

Created for Gentleman Jack. A series of Hardback journals. Quarter-bound in red calf leather on marbled boards.

Anne Lister was born on 3 April 1791 in Halifax. She lived at Market Weighton in the East Riding for most of her childhood, but paid frequent visits to Shibden. She attended the Manor School in York from the age of 14 and in 1815, she went to live permanently with her uncle and aunt at Shibden Hall, and from 1826 she was the co-owner and took over the management of the estate.

From the age of 15, Anne began to keep a diary, and this habit grew into what could be called an obsession in adulthood. The diaries consist of 27 volumes, 6600 pages or almost 4 million words. In comparison the more famous diaries of Samuel Pepys run to just 1.25 million. These diaries, are a wealth of information about politics, business, religion, education, science, travel, local and national events, medicine and health. Anne also devised an esoteric code in order to conceal her unorthodox sexuality and to record in detail her diverse affairs with women.