This volume investigates the intersection of personal life and high-level political maneuvering in 1930s Britain through the eyes of a prominent diplomat and politician. Harold Nicolson, a seasoned diplomat and member of Parliament, provides a granular account of the decade leading up to the Second World War. Edited by his son Nigel Nicolson, the text utilizes the primary source material of Harold's daily journals and private correspondence to document the shifting tides of European diplomacy, the abdication crisis, and the internal workings of the British government. The work serves as both a historical record of a tumultuous era and a portrait of the intellectual and social circles of the British elite.

This collection is regarded as a vital primary source for historians examining the diplomatic failures and political anxieties of the 1930s. The material offers a dense, observant look at the period, providing researchers with a clear window into the mindset of the British governing class during a time of global instability.