This diverse collection of letters was skillfully organized by Shaun Usher. From ancient Egypt to recent entries, this engaging book contains 125 letters that span disciplines and themes. Each entry contains background information and in many cases additional primary source materials such as sketches or photos. While some are professional in nature others are highly personal. Regardless of their time period or theme, each letter provides unique insights into both the author and the recipient. While it's a book that could easily be read cover-to-cover, it's equally satisfying to simply pick up and read a letter at random. ARC courtesy of Library Thing and the publisher. ( )

Read at Kristen's over New Years. Second reading started at ABQ Ann's. Best sequence is encouraging letters from Dr Seuss to young budding cartoonist and his thanks & appreciation 25 years later. Also Norman Mailer chiding his father for gambling debt. ( )

Have you ever wished that you could surreptitiously read someone elses mail? Not for any nefarious reasons, but just to get to know this person a little better. Just to see what they considered worthy of sitting down and writing about. This beautiful book satisfies that curiosity and provides an 'average' person look at the mindset via the personal written word of some 'not-so-average' folks. You will have heard of most of the writers, others will be new to you, but all of them have something interesting to say. It's a peek at their questions, love, despair, wonderings, wanderings, good news, and calamities.

The book contains copies (photo's) of some of the letters and notes that we never get to see unless we are the recipient. This book can be a slow read (a letter or two a day) and a compelling read on a rainy day. You'll find things that you never knew and just how much we all share as humans facings the same challenges and joys. Highly recommended for anyone interested in learning about other people who thought that only the receiver would ever read their letter and how profoundly we are all the same. ( )

I've read letters on the Letters of Note site from time to time, so I was excited to receive this from LTER. It is a finished copy, and is absolutely beautiful in hardback, with transcripts of the letters as well as photos of them in many cases. The subtitle promises an eclectic collection, and that is certainly delivered - from a letter from a woman Roman Britain inviting another woman to her birthday party to one from John Lennon to Eric Claption, and everything in between. I appreciated the inclusion of non-American letters, such as one from Che Guevara to his children and one from a prominent Czech socialist to her daughter shortly before her execution. Some letters are light-hearted and some are deadly serious. It took me a long time to read this book because it's not the kind of thing you really sit down with and read cover to cover, but instead visit for a few minutes here and there to see what treasures await. Treasures like a letter from Gene Wilder about his wardrobe for Willie Wonka, and a letter from Katherine Mansfield to her husband's mistress - you really never know what you might find the next time you open the book. One of my favorites is the letter the book ends with, which is from a British soldier describing the impromptu Christmas truce with some German troops in World War I. It's the kind of thing you've heard about, but reading it described to folks back home by someone who experienced it is amazing.

The book would be a great one to have on the coffee table. I'm sure it would draw people in to pick it up and whatever they find is likely to spark some sort of conversation! ( )

I have (and love) Usher’s Lists of Note but missed out on the first collection of letters; after reading this, I’ll be sure to track a copy down.

Like Lists, this book is put together beautifully. The layout includes a short bit of background about each letter, a reproduction of the letter or a transcription (very helpful for olde time cursive), and, sometimes, a related image.

If there is an order to the letters, it isn’t obvious. (The subtitle says it is an Eclectic Collection!) I appreciated this — for all that they span thousands of years, people are pretty much the same.