The Diary of a Young Girl

Anne Frank's The Diary of a Young Girl is among the most enduring documents of the twentieth century. Since its publication in 1947, it has been read by tens of millions of people all over the world. It remains a beloved and deeply admired testament to the indestructible nature of the human spirit.

Restored in this Definitive Edition are diary entries that had been omitted from the original edition. These passages, which constitute thirty per cent more material, reinforce the fact that Anne was first and foremost a teenage girl, not a remote and flawless symbol. She fretted about, and tried to cope with, her own emerging sexuality. Like many young girls, she often found herself in disagreement with her mother. And, like any teenager, she veered between the carefree nature of a child and the fully fledged sorrow of an adult.

Anne Frank and her family, fleeing the horrors of Nazi occupation, hid in the back of an Amsterdam warehouse for two years. She was thirteen when the family went into the Secret Annexe, and in these pages she grows to be a young woman and a wise observer of human nature as well. With unusual insight, she reveals the relations between eight people living under extraordinary conditions, facing hunger, the ever- present threat of discovery and death, complete estrangement from the outside world, and, above all, the boredom, the petty misunderstandings, and the frustrations of living under such unbearable strain in such confined quarters.

A timeless story rediscovered by each new generation, The Diary ofa Young Girl stands without peer. For both young readers and adults it continues to bring to life this young woman, who for a time survived the worst horror the modern world had seen — and who remained triumphantly and heartbreakingly human throughout her ordeal. For those who know and love Anne Frank, The Definitive Edition is a chance to discover her anew. For readers who have not yet encountered her, this is the edition to treasure. --front flap