The Faber Book of Letters: Letters Written in the English Language, 1578-1939

by Felix Pryor (Editor)

Paperback in good condition. Light scores and edge-wear on covers. Pen marks on page block. Binding is intact, contents are clean and clear. HCW

336 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1989

Reviews

[Louise · Rating 3 out of 5]

This collection of letters was a bit uneven. Writers (especially poets) were over represented; Emily Dickinson and Lord Byron each had 5 letters. That being said, there were a few real gems:
- a beautiful letter from Walt Whitman to the family of a dead civil war soldier
- a heart wrenching letter from Chief Seattle to the President of the US in 1854
- a letter from Dickens describing the death of one of his pet ravens (I didn’t even know that he had pet ravens)
- an absolutely perfect letter from Hemingway to F. Scott Fitzgerald, so perfect I actually wondered if it was a fake
- a very sappy letter from Lord Nelson to Lady Emma Hamilton
- and the first letter in the collection, from Sir Philip Sidney, threatening to stab someone who might be reading his letters!

[anemoska · Rating 4 out of 5]

Imagine reading this book today, as if it acquaints you to the remarkable individual in the past centuries: Poets, Novelist, Painters, Soldiers, Inventors, Aristocrats, etc. etc. Everything about this anthology of letters was absolutely stunning.

[Amy]

"The wise are not learned, the learned are not wise." - Lao-Tzu

"...it wastes my time like an old friend." - William Dean Howells