Finances

David Irving's 2023 financial situation reveals the precarious economic position of an elderly author dependent on book sales, donations, and occasional loans. The diary contains obsessive daily tracking of bank balances and constant worry about money.

Bank Accounts and Daily Monitoring

US Bank Accounts (Bank of America)

Account Structure:

• Account #1: Primary checking (regularly around $200-800)
• Account #2: Secondary account (regularly around $400-1000)
• Visa Credit Card: Fluctuates between $0-$1200 debt

Daily Balance Checks: DI checks balances multiple times daily:

• "8.07AM I check US bank balances: #1 $914.51 . #2 $173.10. (Bank of America) Visa credit card: debit $1,085.55" (June 2)
• "Later still, 11.04AM : #1 $784.60 . #2 $600.80" (June 2)
• Pattern continues throughout diary with 2-3 daily checks

Frequent Transfers: Constant movement between accounts to manage cash flow:

• "I transfer $500 from #1 to the card" (June 3)
• "I transfer $800 to #1" (June 6)
• Shows hand-to-mouth financial management

UK Bank Account (Barclays)

Barclays Account: Used primarily for rent and local expenses

• Bente checks balances: "Your balance is £1285" (July 17)
• "MINUS £22.50" - overdraft situations occur (August 29)
• Used for rent payments to landlord Matthew Court

Major Expenses

Rent - Primary Financial Stress

Monthly Rent: £2,526.25/month (later increased to £2,650) Six-Month Payment Required: £15,528.75 total (July 2023)

• "3 x £2,526.25 = £7,578.75"
• "3 x £2,650 = £7,950"
• "So your total 6 month's rent is £15,528.75" (July 17)

Rent Payment Stress:

• "My rent payment comes in July" (June 21)
• Large wire transfer needed: "$16,000.00" to cover rent (July 24)
• Exchange rate impact: "Total to recipient 12,112.95 GBP"

Storage Costs - Ongoing Drain

Multiple Storage Units:

UK Storage (Slough):

• Two units being consolidated to one to save money
• "Storage here has virtually doubled in price over twelve months" (June 5)
• Regular payments of hundreds of pounds

US Storage (Cubesmart - Florida):

• Handled by Kathy in St. Augustine
• "About $365-375 instead of $508" after downsizing (June 3)
• "I will be around $140 a month" savings (June 3)
• Kathy complains: "They like to raise their rates every few months" (June 5)

Income Sources

Book Sales - Primary Income

Daily Sales Tracking:

• "Bookstore customers overnight: three" (typical daily notation)
• "Net 3 $238.00" (daily sales totals)
• Good days: "Net 25 $5032.40" (June 12)
• Poor days: "Net 1 $139.00" (July 18)

Major Sales Events:

• Newsletter mailouts generate spikes: "The Letter has been going out all week" (June 9)
• Volume III pre-orders: "Churchill's War vol iii"
• International shipping: books to Australia, Canada, Europe

Donations - Critical Support

Regular Donors:

• "$1000 from Andrew Manikas of Indiana" (June 9)
• "$500 from Andrew Manikas" (June 9)
• "Chelsea Holm-Nielsen gives 1000" (June 12)
• "$400 cash donation" from Julius De Roma (July 25)

Donation Processing:

• Kathy deposits donations in US: "I deposited $874.50 into your account yesterday from donation cheques" (August 29)
• Donations often come with orders for specific books

Publisher Payments

International Rights:

• "$1200" from Bulgarian publisher for Hitler's War volume 2 (June 22)
• Payments for translation rights

UK Sales:

• Chris Burrows bulk purchase: "£5,270.89" for large book order (July 24)
• Trade sales provide significant occasional income

Debt and Loans

Outstanding Debt to Kathy

Major Loan: $10,000 loaned by Kathy for rent in summer 2022

• "$4,000 paid back so far"
• "$6,000 still owed" (multiple references)
• Source of ongoing tension: "You seem to have forgotten about the loan" (June 19)

Repayment Arrangements:

• "$2,000 instantly" (June 22)
• Kathy applies book sale proceeds to debt
• "You also still owe me $6000 from last summer when I loaned you money for your rent" (June 22)

Loans to Family

Darius Hildebrand: Swiss contact receiving regular payments

• "Bank transfer to Darius: 6411·33chf/7 = 941CHF= US$1046.49" (June 8)
• "I transfer to Darius $1000" (September 1)
• Appears to be loan repayment arrangement

Adam's Emergency Loan:

• "£400 (£200 from each card) for Adam's Spain trip" (June 10)
• Wedding emergency in Menorca

Historical Debt References

Paloma Deposit: Historical tension over unpaid deposit

• "You in 2016 asked him for three thousand pounds for a deposit for Paloma's flat, which was was never repaid" (June 3)
• Affects relationships with other contacts

Business Expenses

Printing and Publishing

Book Orders: Regular orders from Lightning Source UK

• "Order 10766680: Accident, Uprising, War Path, and Göring" (June 18)
• Account-based purchasing when cash flow tight

Biddles Printing: UK printer for major works

• Large payments for Churchill Volume III production
• "Need cash, so I have to pass my hat around" (June 4)

Website and Technology

DreamHost: Annual web hosting

• "$695.88 - DreamHost VPS vps31082 Annual Plan" (September 7)
• Major annual expense

Technical Issues:

• "I have had a problem with the donate form... It is a new fault, and is costing me money" (June 6)

Transportation

Car Maintenance: Ongoing vehicle problems

• Sandell's garage: "$1170.35" (June 13)
• Alternator replacement
• Regular maintenance costs

Cash Flow Patterns

Daily Financial Anxiety

Obsessive Monitoring: Multiple daily balance checks reveal deep financial insecurity Hand-to-Mouth: Frequent transfers between accounts to cover immediate needs Feast or Famine: Good days with donations followed by weeks of tight cash flow

Seasonal Patterns

Newsletter Response: Mass mailings generate donation spikes Holiday Sales: Anticipation of Christmas sales: "The final deluge will come towards Christmas" (June 17)

Crisis Management

Emergency Measures:

• Borrowing from assistants (Kathy)
• Family loans (Adam's emergency request)
• Selling bulk inventory to dealers
• Reducing storage costs

Financial Relationships

With Kathy

Complex Dynamic:

• Essential business partner handling US sales
• Major creditor ($6,000 owed)
• Source of financial tension but mutual dependence

With Family

Paloma: Handles practical financial arrangements (bank cards, rent negotiations) Adam: Occasional emergency borrower Bente: Access to UK bank accounts for balance checking

With Business Partners

Publishers: Payments for rights and bulk sales Distributors: Lightning Source for inventory Printers: Major capital expenditures for new books

Impact on Daily Life

Constant Stress

Financial worries permeate every diary entry:

• Multiple daily balance checks
• Anxiety about upcoming rent payments
• Careful calculation of every expense

Limited Mobility

Economic Constraints:

• "London is too large and too ethnic now" - can't afford to travel
• Reduces activities due to cost concerns
• Relies on others for errands partly due to cost

Work Pressure

Need to Complete Books: Financial pressure drives work completion

• Must finish Churchill III for printing income
• Cannot afford extended illness or reduced productivity

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Financial Summary 2023:

• Monthly Rent: ~£2,600 (primary expense)
• Storage Costs: ~$400/month US + £hundreds UK
• Outstanding Debts: $6,000 to Kathy + various others
• Primary Income: Book sales ($100-500/day typical)
• Emergency Income: Donations, bulk sales

The diary reveals a brilliant historian reduced to daily financial anxiety, dependent on the kindness of readers and the loyalty of overworked assistants to maintain a basic standard of living in his final years.