Letters in Books: Letters of Note

This week I have received a charmingly enveloped postcard from another devoted postcrosser and supporter, Luís Teira, who dedicated some encouraging words and also gave me a book recommendation: Letters of Note (2013) by Shaun Usher.

Beautiful handwriting! Pity the wax seal got smashed

The book blurb of Letters of Note indicates that it is a "collection of 125 of the world's most entertaining, inspiring and unusual letters, many of which are reproduced in a facsimile in a carefully crafted, book-shaped museum that will grip and fling you from one emotion to the next. A celebration of the power of written correspondence which captures the humour, seriousness, sadness and brilliance that make up all of our lives."

Shaun Usher also has  a blog with the same name which is an online museum of notable letters, as he puts it, it is "an attempt to gather and sort fascinating letters, postcards, telegrams, faxes, and memos".

I was pleased to discover that there is another website, Letters Live, a star-studded live show in which these letters are brought to life on stage.

I have ordered the book and will be publishing a review here as soon as I receive it and get down to reading it.

Thank you, Luís, for your lovely card and this wonderful recommendation which I am sure I will enjoy thoroughly!

Snail Mail My Email Website

Snail Mail My Email is a worldwide community art project where volunteers handwrite strangers' emails and send physical letters to the intended recipients, free of charge. 

SMME was created in 2011 by artist Ivan Cash, who originally conceived the project as a one-time, month long initiative where he would write and send out strangers’ emails one at a time.

The project ultimately received over 10,000 letter submissions and prompted Cash to enlist the help of hundreds of volunteers sending letters all over the world.

SMME has since transitioned to a week-long annual event, held every November that anyone can participate in.