The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole, Aged 13¾

For the TV-series, see The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole (TV series)

The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole, Aged 13¾
1st edition
Author(s)	Sue Townsend
Country	United Kingdom
Language	English
Series	Adrian Mole
Genre(s)	Young adult novel
Publisher	Methuen
Publication date	7 October 1982
Media type	Print (Hardback & Paperback)
Pages	259 pp
Followed by	The Growing Pains of Adrian Mole

The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole, Aged 13¾ is the first book in the Adrian Mole series of comedic fiction, written by Sue Townsend. The book is written in a diary style, and focuses on the worries and regrets of a teenager who believes himself to be an intellectual. The story is in 1981 and 1982, and in the background it refers to some of the historic world events of the time, such as the Falklands War and the wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana. Apart from the humorous events described in the diary, a lot of the book's humour originates from the unreliable narration of Mole, who naïvely, yet confidently, misinterprets events around him.

The book was first published in hardcover by Methuen on October 7, 1982. Sequels include (in chronological order):

• The Growing Pains of Adrian Mole
• The True Confessions of Adrian Albert Mole
• Adrian Mole and the Small Amphibians (all of which were contained in Adrian Mole: From Minor to Major)
• Adrian Mole: The Wilderness Years
• Adrian Mole: The Cappuccino Years
• Adrian Mole and the Weapons of Mass Destruction
• Adrian Mole: The Prostrate Years

Adaptations

A 7-part radio series on BBC Radio 4 featured extracts from the book read by Nicholas Barnes. Townsend adapted the book for the stage in 1984 with music by Ken Howard and Alan Blaikley for a 1985 television series. A film was planned for 2009.^{[citation needed]}