As you know, I’m a fan of books and a fan of mail, so I am automatically hungry for any books about mail. There are actually quite a few of them out there, such as Snail Mail and Write Back Soon! So imagine my glee when I recently found three more books whilst clicking around the interwebs.
Two of them are more focused as guides to writing letters, while another is more about the history and what we can learn from letters. So here’s a little zoom-in on each!
Kind Regards: The Lost Art of Letter-Writing by Liz Williams
God, check out this gorgeous cover. Swooning over here! Liz takes the reader from an introduction to letters and the postal system, into some letterquette and types of letters and finally into different chapters of what we can learn from letters (war, love, farewell, etc). It’s a small, cute book that will brighten up any shelf!
The Art of the Personal Letter by Margaret Shepherd
Margaret’s book is split in two sections: how to craft a personal letter and how to find the right words for those personal letters. This would make for a good guide book for someone who needs help expressing themselves.
For the Love of Letters by Samara O’Shea
Samara’s book gets deep into the different kinds of letters – there is even a whole chapter dedicated to how to write erotic letters. One subchapter is called ‘Describing Down There.’ There’s another for Flaming Tongue letters, which are not Howlers like in Harry Potter, but close. And besides all the different kinds of personal notes, she also includes amnesty letters, letters to the editor, business letters and recommendation letters – more resourceful subjects.
All three books agree on one thing: letter writing comes from a rich history and isn’t going anywhere, though many think it is. One thing I’ve noticed is that I see ‘lost art of letter writing’ everywhere – not just on these books – and it kind of bugs me! I see it about zines and books too, but I think that if people think something is a lost art, it just means they’re not paying attention to it anymore. It’s like how I thought emo music died once I got to university because I stopped listening to it! Anyways, I know I’m obviously more sensitive to this subject and wished everyone wrote letters! 😉
What do you think – are letters a lost art?
Dear Jessica,
A delightful and informative post, thank you.
It is sad that letter writing has become a lost art, for many people today. I believe that letter writing may be lost, if we do not encourage letter writing as a valuable and important skill for everyone. Indeed, to be able to write by hand is a must; to put ideas down on paper and to express using the written word, is both a thing of beauty and the power to educate.
Furthermore, there is something deeply touching about reading a hand written letter, knowing that a good letter takes time to write – it becomes far more meaningful, than any email could ever achieve.
Yours sincerely,
Richard Browning Esq.
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