Image for To the letter  : a curious history of correspondence

To the letter : a curious history of correspondence

See all formats and editions

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.

Read More
Available
£7.49 Save 25.00%
RRP £9.99
Add Line Customisation
2 in stock Need More ?
Add to List
Product Details
Canongate Books
0857868616 / 9780857868619
Paperback / softback
826.009
03/07/2014
United Kingdom
English
464 pages : illustrations (black and white)
20 cm
Reprint. Published in Scotland. Originally published: 2013.