Shaun Usher – författare

'Captures moments in time like nothing else.' RICHARD E. GRANT'Intimate . . . and rarely predictable.' MICHAEL PALIN'Completely fascinating and inspiring. Completely addictive.' STEPHEN FRY'A volume to treasure, sigh and snigger over.' BIDISHAAn engrossing collection of the most remarkable diary writing - by the famous, infamous and everyman alike - curated by the creator of the globally bestselling Letters of Note.What is more intimate than the diary? Across human history, people have kept these repositories of their most unvarnished truths, poignant hopes, hidden desires and deepest fears. In Diaries of Note, Shaun Usher collects 366 captivating diary entries, each with a different author.The diary welcomes all to its pages. Here we encounter reflections from world leaders, artists, scientists, writers and icons of film and music - including Alan Rickman, Frederick Douglass, Virginia Woolf, Louis Theroux and Emma Thompson - alongside those who were never illuminated by fame, but whose writings reveal them as extraordinary. Beautifully illustrated, this book is a testament to the power of personal narratives, reflecting and encapsulating our deepest, and often most secret, emotions.

______________________A richly illustrated and wonderfully eclectic collection of THE WORLD'S GREATEST SPEECHES - THE OLD, THE NEW AND THE UNSPOKEN - from the author of the international bestseller, Letters of Note.Discover speeches that altered the course of history, like NELSON MANDELA’s on the day he became South Africa’s first black President, and outpourings of much-needed change, such as the impassioned, impromptu appeal for women’s rights from SOJOURNER TRUTH, an African-American woman born into slavery. Expect the gloriously unexpected, as KERMIT THE FROG takes to the podium, and celebrate lives well-lived, including TILDA SWINTON’s tribute to ‘every alien’s favourite cousin’, DAVID BOWIE.While some speeches are heard by millions, some remain unspoken: the secret draft prepared for QUEEN ELIZABETH II during a military exercise for World War III, and PRESIDENT NIXON’s chilling public announcement should NEIL ARMSTRONG and BUZZ ALDRIN become stranded on the Moon.Surprising, inspiring and shocking; moving, comforting and enlightening. SPEECHES OF NOTE: seventy-five extraordinary ways to step into someone else’s shoes. FEATURING: Malala Yousafzai * Tilda Swinton * Albert Einstein * Nick Cave * Queen Elizabeth II * Kermit the Frog * Pablo Picasso * Harvey Milk * J. M. Barrie * General Dwight D. Eisenhower * Meghan Markle * Sojourner Truth * Salman Rushdie * Panti Bliss * Nelson Mandela * Robert F. Kennedy * Virginia Woolf * Richard Nixon * Socrates * Nelson Mandela * Mark Twain * Marie Curie * George Bernard Shaw * Susan Sontag AND MANY, MANY MORE

In Letters of Note: Grief, Shaun Usher gathers together some of the most powerful messages about grief, from the heart-wrenching pain of losing a loved one to reliving fond memories of those who have passed on.Includes letters by:Audre Lorde, Robert Frost,Nick Cave, Rainer Maria Rilke,Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette,Kahlil Gibran, Edith Wharton,Mary Wortley Montagu, Seungsahn Haengwon& many more

In Letters of Note: New York, Shaun Usher curates a collection of extraordinary written exchanges about the Big Apple, from the marvelling of wide-eyed newcomers and the devoted outpourings of native citizens, to the frustrated outcries of the dispossessed and the fond reminiscences of old-timers.Includes letters by:Italo Calvino, Ralph Ellison,Kahlil Gibran, Helen Keller, Martin Scorsese, Saum Song Bo, Anaïs Nin& many more

In Letters of Note: Sex, Shaun Usher collects together some of the most noteworthy missives ever written on the subject, from euphemism-laden, flirtatious exchanges and desire-driven expressions of passion to sincere and thoughtful meditations on the meaning of sex.Includes letters by:John Cheever, Dorothy Day,Frida Kahlo, Margaret Mead,Henry Miller, Anaïs Nin,Mae West& many more

In Letters of Note: Fathers, Shaun Usher collects together remarkable correspondence by and about fathers, including proud parental words of love, advice from experienced dads to new ones, as well as letters from both frustrated and adoring offspring.Includes letters by:Anne Frank, W.E.B. Du Bois, Jawaharlal Nehru, Groucho Marx, Che Guevara, Ted HughesKatherine Mansfield, Fergal Keane, Arthur Conan Doyle, Samuel Bernstein& many more

Letters of Note, the book based on the beloved website of the same name, became an instant classic on publication in 2013, selling hundreds of thousands of copies. This new edition sees the collection of the world's most entertaining, inspiring and unusual letters updated with fourteen riveting new missives and a new introduction from curator Shaun Usher.From Virginia Woolf's heart-breaking suicide letter to Queen Elizabeth II's recipe for drop scones sent to President Eisenhower; from the first recorded use of the expression 'OMG' in a letter to Winston Churchill, to Gandhi's appeal for calm to Hitler; and from Iggy Pop's beautiful letter of advice to a troubled young fan, to Leonardo da Vinci's remarkable job application letter, Letters of Note is a celebration of the power of written correspondence which captures the humour, seriousness, sadness and brilliance that make up all of our lives.