Is the diary dead? I kept a diary for about 15 years in my twenties and thirties. Recently I thought I would keep one again, but could not find a diary. Barnes and Noble and other stores have journals, which include blank pages. But they're not dated. A good diary should have dated pages, one page per day. That allows you to put down all meaningful data without adding minutiae. But there doesn't seem to be such a diary anymore. The best diary of all was called Dailyaide, the Silent Secretary. The handsome hardbound book was sold in Woolworth's every year for decades and available in several colors. Each Dailyaide featured the previous and coming year on its inside covers along with the signs of the zodiac. It had an "I Must Not Forget" page, a page for addresses and telephone numbers, movable holidays, a multiplication table and standard time differences. Each month led off with a page detailing the months holidays, the phases of the moon and list for birthday reminders. Each dated page featured the current month, previous and next month plus a quote from a famous writer or philosopher. And each line was broken down in half-hour increments. I've never seen a better diary, journal, or whatever you want to call it. And I had several friends who, like me, were heartbroken when Woolworth's started closing stores and no longer offered the Dailyaide.
Thursday, January 1, 2015
Death of the diary.
Is the diary dead? I kept a diary for about 15 years in my twenties and thirties. Recently I thought I would keep one again, but could not find a diary. Barnes and Noble and other stores have journals, which include blank pages. But they're not dated. A good diary should have dated pages, one page per day. That allows you to put down all meaningful data without adding minutiae. But there doesn't seem to be such a diary anymore. The best diary of all was called Dailyaide, the Silent Secretary. The handsome hardbound book was sold in Woolworth's every year for decades and available in several colors. Each Dailyaide featured the previous and coming year on its inside covers along with the signs of the zodiac. It had an "I Must Not Forget" page, a page for addresses and telephone numbers, movable holidays, a multiplication table and standard time differences. Each month led off with a page detailing the months holidays, the phases of the moon and list for birthday reminders. Each dated page featured the current month, previous and next month plus a quote from a famous writer or philosopher. And each line was broken down in half-hour increments. I've never seen a better diary, journal, or whatever you want to call it. And I had several friends who, like me, were heartbroken when Woolworth's started closing stores and no longer offered the Dailyaide.
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My dad kept a Dailyaide for decades in the 1940's through 1970's. It contained business entries for his law practice, but he also entered information from the news, the weather, notes about what my mom and us kids had done, when school started, special trips we took, etc. Now, as an adult, I have been reading these constantly and am so grateful that my father kept these "diaries" or journals for both his business and our daily lives ... it is indeed "The Silent Secretary". Thank you for this post, though, as I did not know where these diaries were purchased ... I learned here that it was at Woolworth's. My dad's collection has covers in many colors, and the cover changed slightly over the years. I love these items. These books speak for my late father.
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