Fanny Burney's life was a colorful and adventurous one by any standard. Happily, it was also one which she recorded almost daily in journals, and in numerous letters to family and friends. These personal writings, which describe such people as Napoleon, and tell the story of her daring trip across occupied France, her marriage to the impoverished French emigré General d'Arblay, and of her latter, more settled years as the toast of London literary and court circles, display the same sensitivity and wit found in her novels. The extracts chosen are presented chronologically, and are linked by brief editorial remarks.