The name Letts has been synonymous with diaries since the beginning of the nineteenth century.  In  1796, the founder, John, established a stationery business in the arcades of London's Royal Exchange.
The merchants and traders who frequently purchased stationery items from this shop needed a means of recording the movements of stock and controlling their finances.  John Letts responded to the needs of his merchant customers in 1812 by creating the world's first Commercial Diary.
The diary soon established itself as an essential feature of commercial life. The rapid refinement of the product, with the introduction of detailed information sections, meant that by the 1820's the first modern style diary ranges were published.