For the Love of Letters: The Joy of Slow Communication

Richly entertaining and beautifully written, here is a passionate case for the value of old-fashioned letter writing in a technology-obsessed world, along with a collection of some of history€s greatest letters.

Remember letters? They were good, weren€t they? The thrill of receiving that battered envelope, all the better for the wait . . . In this richly entertaining book, paper geek John O€Connell puts forward a passionate case for the value of letter-writing in a distracted, technology-obsessed world. Drawing on great examples from the past, he shows that the best letters have much to teach us €“ Samuel Richardson€s €˜familiar letters€; Wilfred Owen€s outpourings to his mother; the sly observational charms of Jane Austen. And in doing so he reminds us of the kind of letters we would all write if we had the time €“ the perfect thank-you letter, a truly empathetic condolence letter, and of course the heartfelt declaration of love. Was there a Golden Age of Letters? Why is handwriting so important? Can we ever regain the hallowed slowness of the pre-Twitter era? In answering these questions O€Connell shows how a proper letter is an object to be cherished, its crafting an act of exposure which gives shape and meaning to the chaos of life.

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€˜The nib touches the paper. And instinctively I follow the old formula: address in top right-hand corner; date just beneath it on the left-hand side. My writing looks weird. I hand-write so infrequently these days that I€ve developed a graphic stammer - my brain€s way of registering its impatience and bemusement. What are you doing? Just send an email! I haven€t got all night . . .€