As he composed what he hoped would be one of America’s great novels, John Steinbeck kept a daily diary of his writing progress. Struggling through self-doubt and everyday distractions, he finally produced The Grapes of Wrath. Actor Paul Hecht reads from Steinbeck's diary.

At the height of his literary success, dramatist Tennessee Williams was full of anxiety and dependent on drugs and alcohol. His diary revealed his inner anguish. Actor Paul Hecht reads from Williams's diary.

In 1975, on the day he married Lenore Klebanow, American painter Charles Seliger began writing in a fresh notebook to mark his life’s renewal. Actor Paul Hecht reads from Seliger's diary.

After Henry Thoreau came to dinner one day in 1842, novelist Nathaniel Hawthorne described the unusual young man who seemed to live in perfect accord with nature. Actor Paul Hecht reads from Hawthorne's diary.

One chilly summer day in 1851, Henry Thoreau took a walk, listened to the wind and the birds, and reflected on his place in the world. Actor Paul Hecht reads from Thoreau's diary.

Full of joy and wonder, Sophia Hawthorne charted her daughter’s first year of life, from her newborn cries to her first unsteady steps. Actor Barbara Feldon reads from Sophia Hawthorne's diary.

Newlyweds Sophia Peabody and Nathaniel Hawthorne kept a diary together, making a joint record of intimate life in their new home. Actors Barbara Feldon and Paul Hecht read from the Hawthornes' shared diary.

Forbidden to correspond with Charles Kingsley, the man she adored, Fanny Grenfell kept a diary in the form of unsent love letters. Actor Barbara Feldon reads from Grenfell's diary.

As he terrorized Spanish towns and ships in the Americas, English pirate Bartholomew Sharpe kept a diary of his voyage and his exploits. In this passage, he leads his band overland across present-day Panama. Actor Paul Hecht reads from Sharpe's diary.

In these excerpts from his 1826 diary, Scottish author Sir Walter Scott faces the sadness and upheaval of leaving his home of twenty-four years. He is also trying to finish his novel Woodstock, his wife is gravely ill, and he is deeply in debt due to the country’s recent economic crisis. Actor Paul Hecht reads from Scott's diary.