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171 reviews for:
Letters of Note: An Eclectic Collection of Correspondence Deserving of a Wider Audience
Shaun Usher
4.29 AVERAGE
171 reviews for:
Letters of Note: An Eclectic Collection of Correspondence Deserving of a Wider Audience
Shaun Usher
4.29 AVERAGE
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
emotional
informative
medium-paced
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Medical content, Grief
I wanted to put four stars but there were just a few things that were a bit disappointing in this collection.
1. It seemed quite American centric at times, often focusing on historical American letters.
2.Certain themes/types of letters repeated themselves often- the letters seemed quite shaped by the selectors tastes (which makes sense, yet not so much for a collection described as 'eclectic')
1. It seemed quite American centric at times, often focusing on historical American letters.
2.Certain themes/types of letters repeated themselves often- the letters seemed quite shaped by the selectors tastes (which makes sense, yet not so much for a collection described as 'eclectic')
Vale la pena ya solo por la carta-respuesta de un hombre que había sido esclavo a la petición de su antiguo amo de que vuelva con él.
Por lo demás tiene cartas interesantes, llamativas, increíbles, algunas tan antiguas que sorprende su existencia y su contenido..., pero también se le nota que es de EEUU quien las recopila, porque hay algunas no sé de qué hablan ni quiénes son.
Por lo demás tiene cartas interesantes, llamativas, increíbles, algunas tan antiguas que sorprende su existencia y su contenido..., pero también se le nota que es de EEUU quien las recopila, porque hay algunas no sé de qué hablan ni quiénes son.
Absolutely beautiful. It’s a book I know I will go back to again and again.
This is a wonderful collection of correspondence from a variety of writers.
There are letters that will wrench at your heart as you read the despair in grief of losing a loved one or placing a child into care. From young writers seeking to provide advice or gain information on a topic. There is laughter and moments of insight. I do not want to give too much away as there is nothing better than reading a letter and having the contents revealed. It is a book that I will read over and over.
There are letters that will wrench at your heart as you read the despair in grief of losing a loved one or placing a child into care. From young writers seeking to provide advice or gain information on a topic. There is laughter and moments of insight. I do not want to give too much away as there is nothing better than reading a letter and having the contents revealed. It is a book that I will read over and over.
This is a truly special book, and worth every penny of the price to buy it!
As the title says, it is a collection of correspondence "deserving of a wider audience", and so it is. With letters that run the gamut from inspiring to terrifying, sweet to hilarious, and thought-provoking to powerful, the letters in the book are from people both famous and ordinary, but they reinforce the impact an actual letter can have, not only on it's addressed recipient, but as many of these letters have, on many other people.
In this age of texts and Twitter - both of which, let me hasten to note I use and enjoy! - there is still a place for an honest-to-goodness letter, written in one's own hand, on real paper, signed, folded and placed in an envelope with a stamp and taken to the trouble of posting to demonstrate to the recipient the importance the writer places on them and the subject of the letter.
And what letters these are! Here are just a small sampling of the letters in this wonderful book [and in many cases photographic reproductions of the original written or typed letters are included as illustrations, some quite famous]:
-Mary Stuart fo Henry III prior to her execution
-Bill Hicks to a Catholic priest on freedom of expression
-Galileo to Leonardo Donato
-Jack Kerouac to Marlon Brando
-Elvis Presley to Richard Nixon
-Telegrams about Pearl Harbor and the Titanic
-A hilarious letter from hospitalized [and not happy about it] Dorothy Parker
-36 Writers to Roosevelt following Kristallnacht decrying America's lack of action
-A little girl to Abraham Lincoln
-Hemingway to Scott Fitzgerald
-Einstein answering a student's question - do scientists pray?
-Kurt Vonnegut to the Drake School Board about burnings of Slaughterhouse Five
I could go on, but you should just stop reading this review and go buy the book so you can read for yourself why letters are still relevant, important and powerful in our society. This book will make you think, make you laugh, make you feel, and I can't think of a better result from any book!
As the title says, it is a collection of correspondence "deserving of a wider audience", and so it is. With letters that run the gamut from inspiring to terrifying, sweet to hilarious, and thought-provoking to powerful, the letters in the book are from people both famous and ordinary, but they reinforce the impact an actual letter can have, not only on it's addressed recipient, but as many of these letters have, on many other people.
In this age of texts and Twitter - both of which, let me hasten to note I use and enjoy! - there is still a place for an honest-to-goodness letter, written in one's own hand, on real paper, signed, folded and placed in an envelope with a stamp and taken to the trouble of posting to demonstrate to the recipient the importance the writer places on them and the subject of the letter.
And what letters these are! Here are just a small sampling of the letters in this wonderful book [and in many cases photographic reproductions of the original written or typed letters are included as illustrations, some quite famous]:
-Mary Stuart fo Henry III prior to her execution
-Bill Hicks to a Catholic priest on freedom of expression
-Galileo to Leonardo Donato
-Jack Kerouac to Marlon Brando
-Elvis Presley to Richard Nixon
-Telegrams about Pearl Harbor and the Titanic
-A hilarious letter from hospitalized [and not happy about it] Dorothy Parker
-36 Writers to Roosevelt following Kristallnacht decrying America's lack of action
-A little girl to Abraham Lincoln
-Hemingway to Scott Fitzgerald
-Einstein answering a student's question - do scientists pray?
-Kurt Vonnegut to the Drake School Board about burnings of Slaughterhouse Five
I could go on, but you should just stop reading this review and go buy the book so you can read for yourself why letters are still relevant, important and powerful in our society. This book will make you think, make you laugh, make you feel, and I can't think of a better result from any book!
Don't get me wrong I did enjoy reading all these old letters however some of them I just found long and arduous to read. It was interesting though I just had to make sure to sit down and actually read about 100 pages instead of 30 like I used to.
Somewhat more coffee-tabley than I really need (it's large, it's heavy, the facsimiles of the original letters add nothing for me) but the contents are fascinating and eclectic