Letters of Note: An Eclectic Collection of Correspondence Deserving of a Wider Audience compiled by Shaun Usher
Nonfiction

Dip into this beautifully presented collection of letters and memos to and from the famous, the infamous and the obscure, but be prepared to spend some time with it: this is addictive reading. These missives include John F. Kennedy’s desperate note carved into a coconut shell while stranded on a Pacific island after his PT-109 boat was destroyed; a letter from a 12 year old boy to Frank Lloyd Wright asking him to design a dog house; and a heartbreaking letter from physicist Richard Feynman to his wife Arline Feynman, written 16 months after her death. There’s also a form letter written in the 9th century China, to be used to apologize for drunken behavior; an appeal “for the sake of humanity” from Gandhi to Hitler to prevent  the upcoming war; and a 1917 letter that includes the first documented use of the acronym “OMG.” Many letters are reproduced, whether handwritten, typewritten or even carved. Others are accompanied by photographs of the writer or the recipient. Inspiring, amusing, terrifying, sweet and tragic, wandering through this collection will uncover treasures that will appeal to everyone.