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Reader's Paradise

Books of Letters and Journals

18 years ago

At the library yesterday I picked up a book called "The Selected Journals of L.M. Montgomery". Until then, I had forgotten how enjoyable it is to read the letters and journals of historical figures. Does anybody else enjoy them and have some book suggestions?

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Comments (5)

ccrdmrbks
18 years ago
There are two that I really enjoyed, and have read them both more than once. Wallis and Edward is a compilation of the letters and notes exchanged by Wallis Simpson and Edward, Duke of Windsor, during their courtship (if you can call it that...) up to their marriage, as well as her letters to her aunt and others. Sometimes they exchanged notes while staying in the same house. Fascinating.
The other is Winston and Clementine, the letters of the Churchills.
I recently purchased a book of the letters of the Mitford sisters, but have yet not read it.
cindydavid4
18 years ago
I'm not big on letters or journals, but there is a collection I love: Letters of a Nation edited by Andrew Carroll. This collection covers letters from colonial times to the 1990s, from the famous, and the regular Joe or Jane on the street. Very interesting.

Here is a link that might be useful: Letters of a Nation
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Kath
18 years ago
A couple of years ago I read a wonderful book called The Assassin's Cloak. It has entries for each day of the year from the corresponding day in the journals and diaries of many, many people. It was just fascinating.
thyrkas
Original Author
18 years ago
Thanks, all of you, for your great suggestions! Here are two books that I read years ago that were intriguing: "The Letters of Mozart and His Family", and "Emily Dickinson, Selected Letters". They sound dry, but are full of life. As close as one can get to being a 'fly on the wall' in the homes of Mozart and Dickinson, I think.
veronicae
18 years ago
I have not read this, only watched the author on BookTv on CSpan today, but I definitely added it to my TBR list. (Haven't bought it yet...have to read 3 before I can buy another one). The author was very knowledgeable in her presentation, and certainly piqued my interest.
Reading the Man: A Portrait of Robert E. Lee Through His Private Letters by Elizabeth Brown Pryor

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