diary

Informal record of day-to-day events, observations, or reflections, usually not intended for a general readership. One of the earliest diaries still in existence is that of a Japanese noblewoman, the Kagerō Nikki (954–974), and the earliest known diary in English is that of Edward VI (ruled 1547–53). Notable diaries include those of English writer Samuel Pepys and German Jewish girl Anne Frank.

The English writer John Evelyn, the English Quaker George Fox, and 20th-century French writer André Gide and New Zealand writer Katherine Mansfield were also diarists.