I can answer the first question.
Use BCC (Blind Carbon Copy).

Create your new email.
Click on CC at the top left.
A window will open listing your address book on the left,
and lines for Send To, Copy To, and Blind Carbon Copy.
Just select the address from the list and click the BCC button.

Pooh Bear

Two points to add to Pooh's comments. First you might add your own email address in the 'To' box. Why? Because some internet providers refuse to deliver mail if there is no one listed in the 'To' box. I create my usual address a second time but just called myself 'Me'.

On the alphabet issue it should not matter how they go on the email because they will not be visible to anyone which is the whole point of the BCC feature.

Thanks for those clear directions, Pooh Bear. I created a test group of my family, including myself. Sent an email which I got, tho it didn't say "undisclosed recipients". Hopefully, some of my family will email me back to let me know they got it.

I did send it to myself, Owbist, because the "to" box seemed odd if it was empty. And it did go thru--got several replies, including a dinner invitation, from my family.

The alphabetizing thing is for my use when I add to the group.

And for whatever reason, OE does not say "undisclosed recipients", tho I do see the term in emails from others. Doesn't matter tho.

Detailed explanation given in about.com at link below... Step by Step Screenshot Walkthroughs are given, also.

Here is a link that might be useful: undisclosed recipient

You can go to the drop down menus up top and look for "Show all headers" check mark it and it will give you the "Bcc:"
space in your msg. Grady

"
Second, how can I alphabetize the group by last name? I have entered the names from my address book where they are listed by last name. But the "group" then lists them by first name--a problem. Thanks.

Open your address book, left click once on your "Group Name" in the list of folders on the left--then on the right where the names are displayed, at the top of the names there is the word "Name" with a tiny arrow next to it. By clicking on that arrow, you can change the order by first name, last name, ascending, or descending of the names by clicking that arrow.

It won't say "Undisclosed Recipient if you put a name in the "To" line.

In order to add BCC to your email permanently: Open a New Message, go to the top Menu Bar and click on "View", then make sure there is a check in "Show all headers"

Thanks, Arlene, but this does not seem to work for me.

The group name is in my address book. I click on that to send them email. But they are in alphabetical order by first name--useless for me in many ways.

If I follow your procedure, and click on the group name in the list of folders on the left, the names are mysteriously already in order by last name--but I can't send email to the group from there. Only to one at a time.

If I click on the little arrow, it changes my entire address book to first-name order.

I have OE, if that helps. There has got to be a way to alphabetize these names, last name first.

ginny12
By 9 a.m. today we have already had thunder, lightening, snow, ice, hail and its still raining--I am not going anywhere, so I decided to play awhile. If I understand right, you want the people to appear in alphabetical order on your email even though it is sent BCC.

I tried several ways before I got what you want. Here is how I did it.

I opened my Address Book and clicked on the Group Folder on the left
Then in the right-hand column, I clicked that little arrow until the names were alphabetically descending (with "Z" at the top).
Then still in the Address Book, I went to the File menu and left clicked on "Edit" >> "Select All" (highlighting all the names/addresses) of the "group" on the right.

then still in the Address Book, I went back to the File Menu and left clicked on "Tools" >> Action">> Send Mail" and an email will open with the names/addies all in the "To:" line in ascending order.

Click into the "To:" line
Then I once more went to "Edit">> "Select All".
Then back up to "Edit>>and "Cut"
Then click into the BCC line and "Edit">> "Paste"
They then paste in alphabetical order.

I had made up a group and sent it this way to my friends and when I checked the properties in the sent folder, all of the name/addies were in ascending alphabetically order.
Hope this works for you.
Arlene

I am told that some ISPs reject messages that have too many recipients. So I limit the number of BCC for any message to less than 10 and send it multiple times if more recipients are desired. Also some ISPs reject messages that do not have an address on the "TO" line. So I have one of the freebie email services and put my own address for that service in the "TO" line.