Overview
The paperback outing of this engaging and enlightening history of letter-writing and our relationship with the mail, from the bestselling author of Just My Type and On the Map
Every letter contains a miniature story, and here are some of the greatest. From Oscar Wilde''s unconventional method of using the mail to cycling enthusiast Reginald Bray''s quest to post himself, Simon Garfield uncovers a host of stories that capture the enchantment of this irreplaceable art (with a supporting cast including Pliny the Younger, Ted Hughes, Virginia Woolf, Napoleon Bonaparte, Lewis Carroll, Jane Austen, David Foster Wallace and the Little Red-Haired Girl). There is also a brief history of the letter-writing guide, with instructions on when and when not to send fish as a wedding gift. And as these accounts unfold, so does the tale of a compelling wartime correspondence that shows how the simplest of letters can change the course of a life.
- | Author: Simon Garfield
- | Publisher: Canongate Books
- | Publication Date: Jul 03, 2014
- | Number of Pages:
- | Language:
- | Binding: Paperback / softback
- | ISBN-13: 9780857868619
- | ISBN-10: 0857868616