LOS ANGELES - Former US president Ronald Reagan`s hand-written diaries covering his eight years in power are to be published in a book due out next year, his presidential library said Wednesday.
Publisher HarperCollins has acquired the rights to the journals, which officials at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library near Los Angeles said were the most detailed presidential diaries in US history.
Reagan`s "distinctive wit, intelligence, warmth and humor are evident on each page," according to a joint statement from the library and the publisher.
Former first lady Nancy Reagan said her late husband had wanted to make sure he captured the memories of his tenure as US leader.
"When we left (the California state capital of) Sacramento, we felt the time passed so quickly, we could hardly remember the eight years," Nancy Reagan said of his terms as state governor.
"When Ronnie became president, he wanted to write it all down so we could remember these special times," the former actress said.
Reagan, president from 1981-1989, died last June at the age of 93 after a long battle with Alzheimer`s disease that robbed him of his memory.
The first volume of Reagan`s diaries is on display at the Reagan library, where he is buried.
"Each day during his eight years in the White House, Ronald Reagan recorded his innermost thoughts and observations in his personal diary," said Frederick Ryan of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation.
"Although they were not initially intended for publication, we feel that these volumes offer an unprecedented insight into the Reagan presidency," Ryan added.
04/27/2005 17:47 GMT