3 Review(s)

Reading other people's letters, like reading private diaries, offers thrilling and unexpected glimpses into the lives of others, and it is partly this guilty pleasure we take in such literary eavesdropping that makes The Oxford Book of Letters so compelling. With subjects ranging from the mundane to the extraordinary, from the tragic to the hilarious, this volume spans over five centuries and chronicles the affairs of correspondents from Elizabeth I to Groucho Marx, from politicians to poets, from the famous to the unknown. But whether the writers are educated or barely literate, whether their style is polished and witty or stumbling and artless, these letters display an immediacy and intimacy not shared by any other form of writing. In an age where communication is instant and ephemeral, this volume celebrates the glory of the written word, and what may well be a dying art form. Salient Features Comprehensive anthology of letters in English from the 6th century to Philip Larkin Includes letters by the famous (writers, royalty, politicians, poets, playwrights) and the unknown (emigrants to America, Australia and S. Africa), on subjects ranging from business and world affairs, love letters, begging letters, gossip etc. Includes British, American and Commonwealth writers Each letter set in context and annotated with helpful editorial comments Contains first publication of T.S.Eliot-Spender exchange of letters in verse 'A rich, ripe mid-summery collection ... The selection is so intelligent and lucid it reads like the most intimate of social histories ... This is a collection that almost achieves perfection: majestic and accessible, wonderfully funny, memorably sad.' The Observer