"Why should I not publish my diary? I have often seen reminiscences of people I have never heard of, and I fail to see- because I do not happen to be a 'Somebody"-why my diary should not be interesting. My only regret is that I did not commence it when I was a youth." -Charles Pooter from the Diary of a Nobody Diaries reveal life as it really is and can be indiscrete and very personal as they give away a great deal of genuine information that is not usually available to other people. However published diaries may be sanitized and edited so that some of the worst excesses are removed. They may provide a gloss that attempts to enhance the reputation of the writer of the diary and encourage people to view him or her more creditably than they actually deserve. So all published diaries need to be read with a certain amount of healthy skepticism and yet they provide fascinating snapshots of the feelings, thoughts and experiences of the person writing the diary.