Letter writing humor

I found this book at a thrift store, it seems. When I bought it, I had never heard of it and didn't quite understand the type of book it was. It's titled "Letters of Thanks: A Christmas Tale," so I thought it was about writing thank-you letters.

How fun it was when I sat down and read it! Written by Manghanita Kempadoo and illustrated by Helen Oxenbury in 1969, the small book is a series of letters from Lady Katherine Huntington to Lord Gilbert, thanking him for all the gifts he keeps sending her... a partridge in a pear tree, two turtle doves, three French hens, etc. I won't give away the story, but just imagine what you'd do with six geese, seven swans, nine fiddlers, ten drummers, eleven dancing ladies, and so on.

I see the book is available online at a variety of prices. If you love Christmas, as well as letter writing, you might find this book amusing.

Vintage advice

"To put one's thoughts in a letter neatly and correctly is possible for anyone. To write fluently and gracefully is the result of training. To touch the heart of the reader, to make him chuckle, to make words paint pictures that transport another to distant scenes — these are gifts. But we can all express ourselves kindly, naturally, and in good taste. Our written words are permanent witnesses of our character. We can try to have the tone of our letters agreeable and appropriate. If one takes time to write he can make the letter an expression of his best self."
— By Edna Ingalls, co-author of "How to write letters for all occasions"

In my collection of writing books, I came across "How to Write Letters for all Occasions" by Alexander L. Sheff and Edna Ingalls (with revisions by Mary S. Allen), published in 1942.

It's divided into two sections: Business Letters and Social Letters. I found the Social Letters section quite interesting, especially the part on writing letters of condolence, which always seem difficult to pen.

Here is an example, from the book, of "a brief note of sympathy."

My Dear Susan,

Please accept my sincere sympathy for you in your sorrow.

Fondly,
Mary Walter

For "a longer not of sympathy":

Dear Susan,

The news of your sorrow has just reached me. I think I can realize your loss because I know how empty my world seemed when I heard of the passing of your mother. It will be very hard for all of us who knew her well to carry on without her, but we can be glad it was our privilege to have come in contact as long as we did with such a very lovely person. I shall always remember her kindness and cleverness.

Very sincerely,
Martha

The book has hundreds of sample letters on topics such as "Letters That Ask For Payment" and "Notes of Congratulations." It is still useful, some 67 years after it was first published.

Great letter writing book

One of my favorite books about letter writing is "The Handcrafted Letter" by Diane Maurer-Mathison. The author combines letter writing ideas with letter crafting ideas for a most inspiring book.

She offers advice for improving your handwriting, how to make stationery and cards, suggestions for things to include with your letter and much more.

The book is published by Storey Publishing, and you can see some information on it on the Storey Web site.