Diary of Anne Frank. Source: website entoen.nuAnne Frank was given her diary for her thirteenth birthday, and her first entry dates from that day: June 12, 1942. At the time she still lived at Merwedeplein in Amsterdam. Just one month later she was in hiding in the Secret Annex. It could be quite difficult to write in seclusion there. She most liked to write at her desk in her room, but as she shared this room with Dr. Pfeffer, this was only possible at certain hours.

Of course Anne also wrote about her housemates and the helpers. On December 21, 1942 she describes how she felt caught by Mrs. Van Pels. In her book, Miep Gies recounts the time when she accidentally came upon Anne while she was writing. The incident made a deep impression on Miep, while Anne makes no mention of it in her diary. Click here to see a video excerpt in which Miep Gies talks about the time she caught Anne in the act of writing.