The Harold Nicolson Diaries, 1907-1963

Contemporary Review, Nov, 2004

The Harold Nicolson Diaries, 1907-1963. Nigel Nicolson, editor. Weidenfeld & Nicolson. [pounds sterling]25.00. 460 pages. ISBN 0-297-84764-3. [pounds sterling]25. Nigel Nicolson has produced another edition of his father's justly celebrated diaries. In the 1960s he brought out three volumes to great acclaim; in 1980, a condensed one-volume edition appeared which included some previously unpublished passages.

This has some similarity to that although sadly the practice of putting the new material in italic was not followed. This wonderful diary, especially its unforgettable portrait of political and social life in the 1930s and during the War well deserves a new edition. This version benefits from inserted selections from the early diaries. Some cover the young diplomat's work at the Versailles Peace conference in 1919 with one especially memorable entry for 13 May where the weary Allied delegations sit round maps they don't understand and cut up historical countries. The results of their incompetence are seen in the central passages in this book. The exotic though enduring marriage of Sir Harold and his clever wife, Vita, emerges, once again, in this edition. Harold Nicolson's other books, elegantly written but with little deep research, have faded but his diary insures his literary reputation. (R.M.)