{"product_id":"for-the-love-of-letters-book-john-o-connell-9781476718804","title":"For the Love of Letters","description":"Remember letters? They were good, weren't they? The thrill of receiving that battered envelope, all the better for the wait . . . In this richly entertaining book, paper geek John O'Connell puts forward a passionate case for the value of letter-writing in a distracted, technology-obsessed world. Drawing on great examples from the past, he shows that the best letters have much to teach us - Samuel Richardson's 'familiar letters'; Wilfred Owen's outpourings to his mother; the sly observational charms of Jane Austen. And in doing so he reminds us of the kind of letters we would all write if we had the time - the perfect thank-you letter, a truly empathetic condolence letter, and of course the heartfelt declaration of love. Was there a Golden Age of Letters? Why is handwriting so important? Can we ever regain the hallowed slowness of the pre-Twitter era? In answering these questions O'Connell shows how a proper letter is an object to be cherished, its crafting an act of exposure which gives shape and meaning to the chaos of life. \u003cbr\u003e*** \u003cbr\u003e'The nib touches the paper. And instinctively I follow the old formula: address in top right-hand corner; date just beneath it on the left-hand side. My writing looks weird. I hand-write so infrequently these days that I've developed a graphic stammer - my brain's way of registering its impatience and bemusement. What are you doing? Just send an email  I haven't got all night . . .'","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49588104954129,"sku":"GOR010059814","price":13.99,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49622837920017,"sku":"GOR010177779","price":13.99,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ VERY_GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":50758858932497,"sku":"CIN1476718806VG","price":0.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1476718806.jpg?v=1751371846","url":"https:\/\/www.worldofbooks.com\/en-au\/products\/for-the-love-of-letters-book-john-o-connell-9781476718804","provider":"World of Books ","version":"1.0","type":"link"}