FOR THE LOVE OF LETTERS is a much–needed contemporary guide to letter–writing, with tips on how to write all different types of notes: love letters, thank–you letters, apology letters, sympathy letters, goodbye letters, cover letters, break–up letters...even erotic letters. In highly engaging prose, the author addresses her twenty– and thirty–something peers by taking them––via charming anecdotes and real–life examples––through the entire process: why to write a letter, how to start, what to say, when an e–mail is OK and when it's not, and provides eminently useful pointers such as why it's crucial to be specific. All the letters are REAL –– some by the author, some to the author, and some by luminaries like James Joyce, Susan B. Anthony, Edgar Allen Poe, and Abraham Lincoln. Moving stories demonstrate the power of letter–writing and show how it can enhance our relationships. For anyone who has ever trembled at the idea of sitting down and putting pen to paper –– or finger tips to keyboard –– FOR THE LOVE OF LETTERS will leave you well–equipped for the task.

Table of Contents

Introduction I: Yes, There's Still a Need for Letters

Introduction II: Letter Writing and the Internet

Chapter 1: Letters as Gifts

Love Letters

Erotic Letters

Chapter 2: Letter Therapy

~ Goodbye Letters

~ Flaming Tongue Letters

Chapter 3: Return to Sender: Letters that are Hard to

Write and Harder to Receive

~ Break–up Letters

~ Unauthorized Love Letters

Chapter 4: Letters of Gratitude

~ Thank You Letters

Chapter 5: Hard to Say, Even in a Letter

~ Apology letters

~ Sympathy letters

Chapter 6: Letters of Change

~ Letters Requesting Acts of Amnesty

~ Letters to the Editor

Chapter 7: If We Must, We Must

~ Business Letters

~ Recommendation Letters

Chapter 8: Signing Off: The Perfect Ending

Samara O'Shea is the author of For the Love of Letters: A 21st-Century Guide to the Art of Letter Writing as well as a blogger for The Huffington Post.