{"product_id":"9781501149863","title":"For the Love of Letters: The Joy of Slow Communication","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eRichly entertaining and beautifully written, here is a passionate case for the value of old-fashioned letter writing in a technology-obsessed world, along with a collection of some of history’s greatest letters.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eRemember letters? They were good, weren’t they? The thrill of receiving that battered envelope, all the better for the wait . . . \u003c\/b\u003eIn 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. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e*** \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\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. \u003ci\u003eWhat are you doing? Just send an email! I haven’t got all night . . .’\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Atria Books\/Marble Arch Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47038849417456,"sku":"9781501149863","price":17.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/9781501149863_p0.jpg?v=1763707040","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/9781501149863","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}