Diaries reveal life as it really is and can be indiscreet and very personal as they give away a great deal of genuine information that is not usually available to other people. However published diaries may be sanitised and edited so that some of the worst excesses are removed. They may provide a gloss that attempts to enhance the reputation of the writer of the diary and encourage people to view him or her more creditably than they actually deserve. So all published diaries need to be read with a certain amount of healthy scepticism and yet they provide fascinating snapshots of the feelings, thoughts and experiences of the person writing the diary.
