The Oxford book of letters
By: edited by Frank Kermode and Anita Kermode.
Contributors: Kermode, Frank, 1919-; Kermode, Anita.
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Published: 1995
Place of publication: Oxford; New York
Language: eng
Number of pages: 559
Subjects: English letters; American letters; Great Britain -- Social life and customs; United States -- Social life and customs; Commonwealth countries -- Social life and customs
Other titles: Book of letters; Letters
Description: More than 300 letters spanning five centuries chronicle the affairs of correspondents from Elizabeth I to Groucho Marx, from politicians to poets, and 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. Their subjects range from the mundane to the extraordinary, from gossip about the latest fashion to the horrors of a public execution, and from the tragic to the hilarious.

Exchanges of letters between regular correspondents are included, where familiarity and an ongoing saga add to the fascination. Among the most moving letters are those from emigrants to America, Australia, and South Africa, describing the hardships they endured and the resolution with which they faced their new worlds. The editors provide a context for the letters, and unobtrusive notes.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (p. [543]-553) and indexes.