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170 reviews for:
Letters of Note: An Eclectic Collection of Correspondence Deserving of a Wider Audience
Shaun Usher
4.28 AVERAGE
170 reviews for:
Letters of Note: An Eclectic Collection of Correspondence Deserving of a Wider Audience
Shaun Usher
4.28 AVERAGE
I recently read Letters of Note : Space and was thrilled to find this one recently. A collection of correspondence from all walks of life and from different times. It is a wonderful book to dip in and out of which I have started to do, more to come not this fascinating read!
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
lighthearted
sad
medium-paced
nice book, would make a great gift for picking up now and again rather than just reading in one go like I did.
I really enjoyed reading through all these letters! Some standouts: the letter Mary Stuart wrote before she was to be executed - Charles Dickens' plea for an end to public executions - the words that would have been read by Nixon if Apollo 11 had not returned from the moon - a surreal letter written by Mark David Chapman - Albert Einstein's answer to a letter about whether scientists pray - and so many more. This edition has a ribbon bound into the binding so you can mark your place as you read through these poignant, wise, funny, surprising and thoughtful missives.
Full disclosure: I only read about half- because the library book is due today and I have to return it! But what a fun, interesting collection of letters! I love that we see both the photographed originals and the typewritten copy, so we don't have to try and decipher everyone's handwriting.
*3.5
I hear it's a beautiful hardcover so read it in print if you have the chance!
I really appreciate the existence of such an anthology. It provides windows into the past and a peek into the art of letter-writing.
Some letters in here were quite beautiful, touching, or thought-provoking. Others were just fine. I really enjoyed how each came with historical context, but not how they pulled a quote out of each as a working title. I also wish the arrangement/order was more careful (felt a little too random).
I hear it's a beautiful hardcover so read it in print if you have the chance!
I really appreciate the existence of such an anthology. It provides windows into the past and a peek into the art of letter-writing.
Some letters in here were quite beautiful, touching, or thought-provoking. Others were just fine. I really enjoyed how each came with historical context, but not how they pulled a quote out of each as a working title. I also wish the arrangement/order was more careful (felt a little too random).
I haven't read something this insightful in a very long time. This book contains a collections of letters from all sorts of interesring people with surprisingly intriguing stories from around the globe -well known and ordinary alike, some letters dating all the way back to the 1400's. And there are some amusing bits as well that genuinely made me laugh out loud like the letter response to the complaint about the dam beavers.
But as the cover says, this book is massively underrated and truly deserves a wider audience!
But as the cover says, this book is massively underrated and truly deserves a wider audience!
3.75 Stars. I selected this book for book club July 2017, and while I had a rocky start getting into the book I ultimately rather enjoyed it as a unique slice of 150 lives (or rather less as there were some repeat offenders featured.)
Being a history nerd (and history major in undergrad) I liked learning new things and the process of stopping where I was to go read up on a topic and learn even more.
The letters overall were excellent and varied in their humor, sadness, poignancy, and at times eerie relevance despite some of their being hundreds of years old.
I am really glad I pushed my way through the beginning!
Being a history nerd (and history major in undergrad) I liked learning new things and the process of stopping where I was to go read up on a topic and learn even more.
The letters overall were excellent and varied in their humor, sadness, poignancy, and at times eerie relevance despite some of their being hundreds of years old.
I am really glad I pushed my way through the beginning!
The moment I read this, I tagged it as a favorite on my favorites shelf. It's pieces of history, pieces of relationships, pieces of hilarity, pieces of tenderness...everything a letter could be and more, in one anthology that sums up what it is to be human as well.
Particular favorites are the request to Frank Lloyd Wright to build a doghouse, the widow's letter to her husband from centuries past, and Kurt Vonnegut to the school that banned his books.
An amazing collection with insightful commentary. Beloved in my library.
Particular favorites are the request to Frank Lloyd Wright to build a doghouse, the widow's letter to her husband from centuries past, and Kurt Vonnegut to the school that banned his books.
An amazing collection with insightful commentary. Beloved in my library.
emotional
funny
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
sad
medium-paced
This is a marvellous collection of correspondence from some of the most renowned people in history. The full spectrum of the human experience is covered here, from tragedy, to passionate love, to the fight for justice and equality, to some brilliant pieces of humour.
A few select personal favourites of mine included Alec Guinness' disappointed-sounding missal about some little sci-fi film he starred in, Bill Baxley's beautifully succinct response to a white supremacist, Philip K. Dick's excitement for "Blade Runner" (which he sadly didn't live to see), Tim Schafer's cover letter to LucasArts, and a personal letter from Steve Martin.
The audiobook edition utilises the voices of some wonderful actors to really bring these words to life - such as Alan Cumming, Stephen Fry, Benedict Cumberbatch and Juliet Stevenson. I also highly recommend watching the YouTube videos of the companion project performances, "Letters Live".
A few select personal favourites of mine included Alec Guinness' disappointed-sounding missal about some little sci-fi film he starred in, Bill Baxley's beautifully succinct response to a white supremacist, Philip K. Dick's excitement for "Blade Runner" (which he sadly didn't live to see), Tim Schafer's cover letter to LucasArts, and a personal letter from Steve Martin.
The audiobook edition utilises the voices of some wonderful actors to really bring these words to life - such as Alan Cumming, Stephen Fry, Benedict Cumberbatch and Juliet Stevenson. I also highly recommend watching the YouTube videos of the companion project performances, "Letters Live".
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Mental illness, Racism, Sexism, Police brutality, Schizophrenia/Psychosis