--- product_id: 56250276 title: "The Secret Diaries of Miss Anne Lister" price: "$42.68" currency: USD in_stock: true reviews_count: 13 url: https://www.desertcart.us/products/56250276-the-secret-diaries-of-miss-anne-lister store_origin: US region: United States of America --- # The Secret Diaries of Miss Anne Lister **Price:** $42.68 **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** The Secret Diaries of Miss Anne Lister - **How much does it cost?** $42.68 with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.us](https://www.desertcart.us/products/56250276-the-secret-diaries-of-miss-anne-lister) ## Best For - Customers looking for quality international products ## Why This Product - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description Discover the extraordinary diaries of the real Anne Lister: the inspiration for Gentleman Jack and Emma Donoghue's new novel Learned By Heart 'Engaging, revealing, at times simply astonishing' SARAH WATERS '[Anne Lister's] sense of self, and self-awareness, is what makes her modern to us . . . The diaries gave me courage' JEANETTE WINTERSON 'The Lister diaries are the Dead Sea Scrolls of lesbian history' EMMA DONOGHUE When this volume of Anne Lister's diaries was first published in 1988, it was hailed as a vital piece of lost lesbian history. The editor, Helena Whitbread, had spent years painstakingly researching and transcribing Lister's extensive journals, much of which were written in an elaborate code - what Lister called her 'crypthand', which allowed her to record her life in intimate, and at times, explicit, detail. Until then, Anne Lister's lesbianism had been supressed or hinted at; this was the first time her story had been told. Anne Lister defied the role of nineteenth century womanhood: she was bold, fiercely independent, a landowner, industrialist, traveller and lesbian - a woman who lived her life on her own terms. These diaries include the years 1816-1824. The second volume, continuing Anne's story, THE SECRET DIARIES OF MISS ANNE LISTER: NO PRIEST BUT LOVE , is now available. Review: This edition stops at 1824, where's the rest of the story? - I really enjoyed getting into the head of a 19th lesbian with these diaries. Not just any woman could have endured or survived the vicissitudes of what life was like back then. It's a very interesting read on how she goes about her life, business, love, education, and her untimely death. Another very inspiring part of the diary is when she visits the Ladies of Llangollen, 2 Irish lesbians who relocated to the north of Wales to escape their family and societies prejudice against their sexuality. Here's an interesting thing about that meeting, she's only able to meet one of them, the other sick. Anne realizes that these women are living the life she wants--outside of loneliness, in their own love for each other, in the context of community tolerance. She alludes to their lifestyle inspiring her in her own goals of living. The diaries are filled with the day to day responsibilities of taking care of herself and family, while trying to live as a woman in society. Evidently Anne's butchness is very apparent, prompting insults from strangers at times claiming she's a man dressed as a woman. The details of these encounters with people, acquaintances and other closeted women is interesting from a sociological point of view. The only other thing I wished this volume (2010) included, was the relationship with Ann Walker, which was absent of all mention. This relationship, I'm assuming, took place between 1825 to 1840; so essentially there is 15 years missing from the diaries. I'm not sure why these years are not included; from what I've gathered these years are Anne's most rewarding years in terms of relationship and commercial enterprise and development of the Shibden estate along with Miss Walker's property in coal mining. There's a very good documentary by Sue Perkins called: Revealing Anne Lister, which details some of that story, and the film "The Secret Diaries of Miss Anne Lister" tells a little of this story as well. This last relationship with Ann Walker is a sort of happy ending for Anne until their travels abroad begin in 1839, only to end tragically with Anne's death. So the only big disappointment is the missing entries from these years. I wanted to know how that relationship with Miss Walker evolved with both of them keeping house in the end as partners. I almost think that there should be another volume, part 2 revealing the life of these years--I'll buy it in a New York minute when it comes out! Bottom line of these diaries is that they are a treasure, since there is not much documentation of a lesbian life of this era with such detail until these were published completely very recently (1992?). They represent a very important part of invisible lesbian history--now visible--and should be celebrated and read. Review: Unbiased insight into a fascinating historical person - I must say I have never read a book like this one before-probably because it is moreso a journal than an authored book. It was different to read but I found it quite fascinating, even the more mundane entries about daily life. While Anne Lister may be best known for being the world's first "modern lesbian" this book offers insight into what people thought about and what life was like on a daily basis 200 years ago-without all the romanticizing of the time period that modern artistic works often spin into it. Certainly worth a read. It was well edited- indicating the passages that Anne wrote in crypthand-some sexual, but many about clothing or money as well. There were occasional notes from the editor that gave a brief overview of the larger picture and context of what was going on in her life as well that were helpful. ## Technical Specifications | Specification | Value | |---------------|-------| | Best Sellers Rank | #115,199 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #58 in LGBTQ+ Demographic Studies #712 in Women's Studies (Books) #771 in Women's Biographies | | Customer Reviews | 4.6 out of 5 stars 2,471 Reviews | ## Images ![The Secret Diaries of Miss Anne Lister - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71GcU+06VpL.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ This edition stops at 1824, where's the rest of the story? *by J***Y on April 8, 2012* I really enjoyed getting into the head of a 19th lesbian with these diaries. Not just any woman could have endured or survived the vicissitudes of what life was like back then. It's a very interesting read on how she goes about her life, business, love, education, and her untimely death. Another very inspiring part of the diary is when she visits the Ladies of Llangollen, 2 Irish lesbians who relocated to the north of Wales to escape their family and societies prejudice against their sexuality. Here's an interesting thing about that meeting, she's only able to meet one of them, the other sick. Anne realizes that these women are living the life she wants--outside of loneliness, in their own love for each other, in the context of community tolerance. She alludes to their lifestyle inspiring her in her own goals of living. The diaries are filled with the day to day responsibilities of taking care of herself and family, while trying to live as a woman in society. Evidently Anne's butchness is very apparent, prompting insults from strangers at times claiming she's a man dressed as a woman. The details of these encounters with people, acquaintances and other closeted women is interesting from a sociological point of view. The only other thing I wished this volume (2010) included, was the relationship with Ann Walker, which was absent of all mention. This relationship, I'm assuming, took place between 1825 to 1840; so essentially there is 15 years missing from the diaries. I'm not sure why these years are not included; from what I've gathered these years are Anne's most rewarding years in terms of relationship and commercial enterprise and development of the Shibden estate along with Miss Walker's property in coal mining. There's a very good documentary by Sue Perkins called: Revealing Anne Lister, which details some of that story, and the film "The Secret Diaries of Miss Anne Lister" tells a little of this story as well. This last relationship with Ann Walker is a sort of happy ending for Anne until their travels abroad begin in 1839, only to end tragically with Anne's death. So the only big disappointment is the missing entries from these years. I wanted to know how that relationship with Miss Walker evolved with both of them keeping house in the end as partners. I almost think that there should be another volume, part 2 revealing the life of these years--I'll buy it in a New York minute when it comes out! Bottom line of these diaries is that they are a treasure, since there is not much documentation of a lesbian life of this era with such detail until these were published completely very recently (1992?). They represent a very important part of invisible lesbian history--now visible--and should be celebrated and read. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Unbiased insight into a fascinating historical person *by A***N on September 5, 2019* I must say I have never read a book like this one before-probably because it is moreso a journal than an authored book. It was different to read but I found it quite fascinating, even the more mundane entries about daily life. While Anne Lister may be best known for being the world's first "modern lesbian" this book offers insight into what people thought about and what life was like on a daily basis 200 years ago-without all the romanticizing of the time period that modern artistic works often spin into it. Certainly worth a read. It was well edited- indicating the passages that Anne wrote in crypthand-some sexual, but many about clothing or money as well. There were occasional notes from the editor that gave a brief overview of the larger picture and context of what was going on in her life as well that were helpful. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ An enlightening and enjoyable read, but editorial choices are unclear *by B***E on January 12, 2017* This is such a wonderful book. I feel both as a voyeur and as a researcher and just as a cozy reader going through the pages. In fact, I'm not through the book completely yet, and I don't want it to end: I find it both engrossing and relaxing at the same time. Although I've considered myself fairly well versed in that time period of England, I've learned so much from this diary. And the details are simply fascinating. In fact, I wish there were more of them: I wish this book included the whole diary, not just the excerpts. Anne counting her money and detailing the specifics of trying to heal her venerial disease? I want to read it. I want to know more about the relative costs of things, about her day-to-day goings, about what it was like to travel at that time. The editor (translator) never explains how she chose what to include and what to omit, and those omissions is why I took off one star from my rating. Was there more to the diary? Or is it all? How are the cuts made? I wish the editor would have at least explained. The other editorial choice I didn't quite understand is her perchance for summarizing the events to come. Perhaps it makes the following pages more easily understandable, but, at the same time, it removes what suspense can be found in a diary. I also found that there were at least a couple of places where I disagreed with the editor's summary. E.g. before the pages detailing the last few months of Anne's acquaintance with Miss Browne, the editor summarizes it as "Miss Browne went away never completely understanding what Anne wanted from her." Oh, but from the dialogues Anne relays, I think Miss Browne understood it very well! In fact, how much clearer can she be when she says "I wish you were a gent"? Maybe there were more material included that made the editor think Miss Browne so naive and unaware. But maybe not. All in all I could've done without those editorializing comments. On the other hand, I think this diary is ripe for more research and more annotations explaining some details of what Anne is doing or why she's doing certain things. I was able to piece some things together, but others remained unclear -- but it would make for a wonderful volume to have more explanations and illustrations (e.g. a detailed explanation of the systems of measures for money and other measurements). Still, overall it's an enjoyable read and an invaluable work was done by the translator/editor, for which I give her my huge thanks. ## Frequently Bought Together - THE SECRET DIARIES OF MISS ANNE LISTER: VOL. 1: I Know My Own Heart (Virago Modern Classics) - The Secret Diaries of Miss Anne Lister - Vol.2: No Priest But Love (Virago Modern Classics) - Gentleman Jack --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.us/products/56250276-the-secret-diaries-of-miss-anne-lister](https://www.desertcart.us/products/56250276-the-secret-diaries-of-miss-anne-lister) --- *Product available on Desertcart United States of America* *Store origin: US* *Last updated: 2026-07-21*