Day Books is an independent publishing company, established in 1998 to publish a series of ‘great diaries from around the world’. Since then we’ve branched out to include all kinds of personal writing: biography, autobiography, and collections of letters.

We also have two other imprints: the Charlbury Press, publishing local-interest material relating to Oxfordshire and the Cotswolds, and Leo Children’s Books.

Wednesday 26 March. Everyone knows that books have the power to change lives, but it's not often that a publisher receives an email like this one from a reader. 'The book has helped us to understand ourselves better ... In the knowledge that our great-grandfather was a traveller and adventurer we are able to accept and truly embrace the people we have become..'

The email was sent by Betsy Peerless - great-granddaughter of Henry Peerless, who diaries are published by Day Books. Betsy's brother Geoffrey has also emailed to talk of the parallels between the lives of his siblings and himself, and the life of his great-grandfather. The similarities, he says, 'have passed down through the generations. I too travelled extensively for about 15 years, and kept an online account of my journeys.'

You can read about Geoff Peerless's travels at http://www.geoffstravelscrapbook.co.uk - and you can read about his great-grandfather's travels in 'A Brief Jolly Change: The Diaries of Henry Peerless, 1891-1920'.