Last week a book I had requested from the public library on letter writing waaaaaay back in February that was checked out at that time and then made its way to billed and me figuring I would never see it but just out of curiosity left it on my hold list anyway, well that book finally arrived.
The Art of the Personal Letter: A Guide to Connecting Through the Written Word by Margaret Shepherd is pretty much like most books about writing letters. There is a whole section on how to write love letters and break up letters, condolence letters, apology letters, thank you letters, etc. What Shepherd does that none of the other modern day letter books do is she doesn’t get all romantic and dreamy and wish for the good old days. Nor does she insist that a hand written letter is the only kind of letter anyone worth anything would ever dare send. She plunges right in and suggests that the format and medium should match the intent. She discusses what kind of communication is best suited to email and how to write a good email. I liked that.
When it comes to actually mailing a letter she covers things like paper selection and how the paper you choose to write on makes an impression. Likewise a person’s choice of writing implement. She even talks about making a pleasant place to write letters. That made me look up and notice what a mess my desk is and inspired me to clean it. Even my Bookman was dazzled by how tidy it looks. I still have a little corner that has a small pile of things that I have to do, my “in box” corner, and then my desk is fantastically spacious and lovely. Even with my in box corner there is room for a cat to stretch out and not be in the way. This, however, doesn’t matter to Waldo who loves to snuggle and be in the middle of things. I was writing a thank you letter to a friend yesterday and Waldo had to “help” by laying down in the middle of it and trying to eat my pen.
Overall it is a nice little book. A pleasant way to spend an afternoon dreaming about writing beautiful missives and receiving beautiful ones in return. My mailbox and I are very happy thanks to my letter-writing friends (you know who you are!). I can’t say enough how wonderful it is to sort through the junk and the bills to find a letter. So even though these books like Shepherd’s tend to all be very much alike, they are still fun to read because they are energizing and remind me why I like sending and receiving letters so much.
What a lovely book! And how nice to think of your mailbox stuffed full of rich, cream vellum envelopes enscribed with thick blue ink and bearing exotic stamps. And you remind me I really must clear my desk….
I’ve always been a sucker for a real, handwritten letter. In Switzerland the custom is still quite strong and anytime you have to thank someone for something, it MUST go handwritten. I quite like that emphasis on the personal nature of correspondence, even if sometimes I feel an email would do the job. Sounds like a lovely book!
My mom always told me that you have to write a REAL thank-you note (handwritten) — it’s okay if it’s short. I hate when I don’t get thank-you notes from kids these days.
I seriously need to get some nice stationery and better pens. I’ve been relying on colored printer paper (as you know!) and that… has run its course. Now that my hands are feeling a little better maybe I’ll have to treat myself to some new paper and pens…
I love getting letters! Years ago there were many books on letter writing, mainly concentrating on formal letter writing, which I did find useful. This book looks more up to date.
And you’ve made me realise how untidy my desk is! However hard I try to keep it clear I always end up surrounded by piles of books, paper, stapler, hole puch, camera, etc and of course my cat. Very little space to type or write. Time to have a tidy-up – more room for the cat ha, ha.
I wonder why someone would write a book like this when, quite honestly, a personal letter ought to be, oh, personal. How can there be a culturally acceptable way to write a private, personal letter? A business letter: yes. There can be the polite standard. A thank you note or an invitation: maybe, sure, why not. But I’ve encountered so many different types of personal letters that I feel trying to assign an “art” to it is… wrong.
Sounds like a great book. I’d love to know how to write a proper email (I’m afraid mine all tend to resemble my letters. Read: overly-wordy). However, I know EXACTLY how it feels to find that lovely colored envelope that indicates stationery, and thus, a letter, amidst all the junk mail and bills.
Litlove, well I wouldn’t call my mailbox stuffed full or the stamps particularly exotic, but what I do get is lovely. I love my desk to be clean but it seems to hard to keep it that way!
Verbivore, ah it is nice to know the handwritten thank you note lives on somewhere. We are lucky these days to even get a thank you phone call when we send a gift to any of the kids on the family.
Daphne, your mom must know my mom
i look forward to seeing what you search for paper and pens yields 
Booksplease, I was surprised how up to date this book is. I hope your desk tidy-up goes well. I completely understand how hard it is to keep a desk clear.
Bibliobio, oh you’d be surprised at how many people don’t know letter etiquette, what to write in a condolence letter or a thank you note. And the book falls into a long tradition of books on how to write letters.
Emily, it was a good book and I am sure you can write a very proper email–you just need to go into editor mode before you send it