The Letter Exchange - Links Related to Issue 15

	THE LETTER EXCHANGE
	Connecting Penfriends Since 1982

Links related to Issue 15, Winter 2008

The Letter Exchange, Winter 2008

Delightful is the art of letter writing and one not hard to be acquired.
— Richard A. Wells

Boy Drawing
	If you'd like to draw like British artist Steven Spurrier (page 1), who was active in the first half of the 20th century doing illustrations for magazines, posters, and books, check out his book Black and White – A Manual of Illustration – Line and Wash Drawing. While not well-known today, his prints are still sold at auctions and galleries.
Animails
	F. E. Baines' book of gentle reminiscences of his years in the employ of the British Post Office, On the Track of the Mail-Coach (page 7), is difficult to find in bookstores, but available in some libraries and online at Google Books, as is his earlier work, Forty Years at the Post-Office. His writing style is fluid, rather quaint, and quite enjoyable whether the subject matter is of great interest or not, although he alternates between interesting and often humorous anecdotes, and rather dry, sometimes statistical history. Could Jack have taken his charges to see a view like the one at the left? It's about 10 miles from Matlock Bath, not a long distance for walkers in those days. The New Bath Hotel is still open, and still mentioning scenic walks as a local attraction – though apparently you'll have to make do with written brochures, as there's no mention of any current canine guides.
The Big D
	The complete book Manners, Culture and Dress of the Best American Society (from which the first drawing on page 8 is taken) is available online; so is Handicraft for Handy Girls, the source of the drawing of the portable desk. Like most old books, expensive copies are generally available from antiquarian booksellers, and Worldcat will often show holdings in nearby libraries, though not reliably – the copy we scanned the "D" from, borrowed from the University of Minnesota Library, is not shown on Worldcat (and not because we haven't taken it back yet!).
Sail Mail
	If the idea of a floating post office sounds fascinating, there are more articles about the USS Kitty Hawk and its onboard mail: "At-Sea Post Office Prepares for Upcoming Season" and "Kitty Hawk Postal Workers Keep the Mail Coming". And Kitty Hawk isn't the only ship with mail facilities: check out "Postal Clerks Boost Morale on Carl Vinson", "Free Mail on the Horizon for Nimitz Crew Members", and "‘Mail Call’ Brings Holiday Cheer to Tortuga Sailors".
The Manley Arts
	We tried to get permission to reprint the article by Will Manley mentioned on page 14, but the publisher, who holds the copyright, didn't respond to our inquiries. You might enjoy the writer's style, however, in his column "The Manley Arts" in Booklist, from the American Library Association. An example of his subtly devastating manner is his April 1, 2002 column defending the written version of The Lord of the Rings against the movies, "Too Good".
Letters about Letters
	If you'd like to read the original letter by Walter H. to Dear Abby, and her reply, it's available here. To follow Michelle's advice and urge your representative to support a Handwritten Letter Week, you'll need his or her address; here's a brief article with links and tips on how to make your letter most effective.
Fun Mail
	It's not easy to find information on postage for mailing unusual items such as those mentioned on pages 17 and 18 – it doesn't seem to be a top priority at the USPS mailing guidelines site. A good rule of thumb is to err on the side of too much postage, remembering that you're paying not only for the weight of the item, but the need for manual handling as well. Angela's flip-flop weighs 3 ounces and came to us with 80¢ postage. (On one of the straps is the message "Postal Workers: Thanks for stepping in to pass this note along!")
"Reeding" the Past
	Intrigued by the cuneiform writing in The World of Letters? First Steps in Assyrian is still available, as are Babylonian Magic and Sorcery by the same author, Babylonian and Assyrian Laws, Contracts and Letters, the more recent book Beginner's Assyrian, and more affordably, Reading the Past: Cuneiform. Cuneiform is at least 5000 years old, and lasted slightly into the A.D. period. It began as pictograms that were later stylized to be written with reeds on clay tablets. It was used in a number of different languages and varied significantly not only by language but over time as well. Kouyunjik, the source of the K numbers denoting tablets found there, is a mound at the site of ancient Nineveh.
Page 29
	Pamela Huey's article about Lex is still available online. Judy Ford's book that briefly mentions Lex is available at Powell's. FLCindy's Lex collage is here. Finally, the Smithsonian's exhibit of the illustrated letters of American artists, "More Than Words", has a web page with exhibit itinerary, and you can buy the book as well.
Powell's Books
	Clicking on most of the books on this page will take you to Powell's, the world's largest independent bookstore. You can also use the search engine to the left. Any purchase you make by following one of these links will help support LEX – not just these items but any book or DVD in their inventory.
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