I have a beribboned bundle of letters my father wrote to my mother while he served in the military during WW II. They give me insights into a man who was reticent in the spoken word. His letters are potent, especially his expressions of love for his wife and son, my mother and brother (before my time). I read and hear his voice, alive in my mind, as I touch and smell the paper which his hands (and my mother’s) once held. Each letter is a treasure.

Letter writing began for practical use, to self-teach and to share information. The ancient historian Hellanicus noted that the first recorded hand written letter (epistle) was by Persian Queen Atossa, daughter of Syrus, mother of Xerxes around 500 BC. Letters are mentioned in Homer’s Iliad. Even the Bible includes letters. What would the New Testament be had St. Paul not been such a prolific letter writer?

Over time, as people gained access to writing tools and some form of mail delivery, letter writing became a popular way to express oneself. The art of letter writing emerged but every technological advancement – cheap postage, the telephone, the typewriter, the telegraph, and ever faster delivery — brought moans over the expected death of the art.

Today, the ease and speed of emails, texts, tweets, Facebook posts and other digital advances has resulted in more messages being sent to more people. Laments over the decline of the art of letter writing are as loud as ever. Never before have so few written so much that conveyed so little!

Yet, letter writers persevere. Everyone enjoys receiving personal letters. Some, including me, enjoy writing them as much as receiving them. Letters have the ability to change lives. They have, on occasion changed the course of history.

If you doubt this, check out some great collections of letters that have been curated in books; or check out one of the wonderful novels built around letters between people. These letters and the stories built around them have endured over years, centuries and even millennia. They may inspire you to pick up pen and paper or pull out that old tip-tap typewriter and pack your “epistles”!

Real Letters:
Letters of Note: An Eclectic Collection of Correspondence Deserving of a Wider Audience — Shaun Usher (editor)
To the Letter: A Celebration of the Lost Art of Letter Writing – Simon Garfield
P.G. Wodehouse: A Life in Letters – Sophie Ratcliffe (editor)
Graham Greene: A Life in Letters – Richard Greene (editor)
The Letters of Edith Wharton – P.W.B. Lewis & Nancy Lewis (editors)
84, Charing Cross Road – Helene Hanff
The Groucho Letters – Groucho Marx
Searching for My Father, Tyrone Power – Romina Power

Novels with Letters (Epistolary Novels):
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society – Mary Ann Shaffer & Annie Barrows
Dracula – Bram Stoker
Daddy-Long-Legs – Jean Webster
The Screwtape Letters – C.S. Lewis
The Fan – Bob Randall
We Need to Talk About Kevin – Lionel Shriver