Ship Diaries Hidden in Wardrobes

I was at a party at the beginning of the year and talked to a friend of mine about my ship books (you have to be careful how you say that in a loud room!)

Anyway he said that his friend had a ship diary in her wardrobe which only her family and a couple of friends had seen.  My eyes popped out of my head!  Then he said that he was sure there were many people with ship diaries hidden in their houses that have never seen the light of day.  They have never been bequeathed to a museum or sent to the Alexander Turnbull Library.  After the Christchurch earthquakes we have all learnt how important it is to preserve our history as it can be lost in a second.  Diaries too can be lost in a second due to flooding, fire and various other tragic events. 

So anyway, I am putting out a request for any such diaries which could be turned into a super wee book.  In return for use of the diary I would give the family some free copies of the finished book and full credit and ownership of the information, (stated in the front of the book.)  The books would go into the National Library and other libraries around the country, to be preserved for another 100 years or more.

All my books are fully referenced in an academic manner so that every statement can be traced back to the original source.  I am writing them out of interest and to help others tracing their family's ancestral journey to New Zealand.

If you are interested in sharing your precious diaries, please email me using the email on the right hand side of this blog.  I promise you won't be disappointed in the final book I would produce for you.