Scan barcode
A review by devon_marie
Letters of Note: An Eclectic Collection of Correspondence Deserving of a Wider Audience by Shaun Usher
5.0
Like [b: Lists of Note|23123095|Lists of Note|Shaun Usher|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1409325539s/23123095.jpg|42671897] before it, Letters of Note is a wonderful and rich read. There is an incredibly diverse range of letters in this book — from Queen Elizabeth II to Groucho Marx to Hitler's nephew to [a: Ray Bradbury|1630|Ray Bradbury|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1445955959p2/1630.jpg]; from wives of Japanese Kamikazi pilots to teachers to librarians to people long forgotten. Each letter is beautiful in its own way, too — whether it's Annie Oakley's letter on gorgeous letterhead to the beautifully written yet terribly sad suicide letter of [a: Virginia Woolf|6765|Virginia Woolf|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1419596619p2/6765.jpg] to the humor in a Wil Wheaton fan letter replied to after ~20 years. Many of the letters are scanned, too, so you can see the handwriting, letterhead, and character of the original.
Particular favorites of mine include:
- Eudora Welty's cover letter for employment at The New Yorker
- [a: Hunter S. Thompson|5237|Hunter S. Thompson|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1206560814p2/5237.jpg]'s advice on creating and being yourself
- [a: Ray Bradbury|1630|Ray Bradbury|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1445955959p2/1630.jpg]'s letter to a friend who was concerned about potential robot overlords
- Clementine Churchill's letter to her husband politely asking him to take a chill pill
- John F. Kennedy's incredible "message in a bottle" that was really carved into a coconut
- [a: Kurt Vonnegut|2778055|Kurt Vonnegut|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1433582280p2/2778055.jpg]'s witty and pointed letter to a school board censoring his books
- [a: Henry James|159|Henry James|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1202237907p2/159.jpg]'s letter on sorrow and overcoming it
- Alec Guinness's letter to a friend, hinting at this new movie he's working on with Mark Hammill and Harrison Ford
- Charles Bukowski's wondrous and perfect response to censorship, which everyone must read
Overall, a fabulous, educational, and contemplative book brimming with the insights and experiences of men and women throughout the ages. A true must-read.
Particular favorites of mine include:
Spoiler
- Eudora Welty's cover letter for employment at The New Yorker
- [a: Hunter S. Thompson|5237|Hunter S. Thompson|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1206560814p2/5237.jpg]'s advice on creating and being yourself
- [a: Ray Bradbury|1630|Ray Bradbury|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1445955959p2/1630.jpg]'s letter to a friend who was concerned about potential robot overlords
- Clementine Churchill's letter to her husband politely asking him to take a chill pill
- John F. Kennedy's incredible "message in a bottle" that was really carved into a coconut
- [a: Kurt Vonnegut|2778055|Kurt Vonnegut|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1433582280p2/2778055.jpg]'s witty and pointed letter to a school board censoring his books
- [a: Henry James|159|Henry James|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1202237907p2/159.jpg]'s letter on sorrow and overcoming it
- Alec Guinness's letter to a friend, hinting at this new movie he's working on with Mark Hammill and Harrison Ford
- Charles Bukowski's wondrous and perfect response to censorship, which everyone must read
Overall, a fabulous, educational, and contemplative book brimming with the insights and experiences of men and women throughout the ages. A true must-read.