To the Letter - A Curious History of Correspondence

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.

Product details

• Authors: Simon Garfield
• Publisher: Canongate Books
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback
• Released: 31.07.2014
• EAN: 9780857868619
• ISBN: 978-0-85786-861-9
• No. of pages: 464
• Dimensions: 128 mm x 197 mm x 28 mm
• Subjects: Fiction > Narrative literature > Letters, diaries; Humanities, art, music > Linguistics and literary studies > English linguistics / literary studies; Non-fiction book > Art, literature > Miscellaneous; Social sciences, law, business > Media, communication > Communication science