Happy Sunday morning here at AnchoredScraps.com. On my bookcase, nestled there among my books is one I’m sharing today that I have had for over fourteen years.
The book is “Best Regards: Recovering the Art of Soulful Letter Writing” and was written in 1997 by Ben Alex.
If one were to spend one Sunday each week reading one selection it would take 23 Sunday’s for the preface by Ben Alex and the 22 entries. This means if you started today it would take you to February 28, 2016 reading one entry each Sunday. The time is going to pass anyway why not explore the idea!
It is a beautiful collection of letters including those of: Rainer Maria Rilke, C.S. Lewis, Emily Dickinson, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Marie of the Incarnation, Vincent van Gogh, Francis A. Schaeffer, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Thomas Merton, and Saint Jerome as shown on this photo of the left side Contents page taken this morning:
And here on the right side page of the Contents page we see letter writers include: Mother Teresa, Lev Tolstoy, Henry David Thoreau, Ludwig van Beethoven, Corrie ten Boom, David Livingstone, Flannery O’Connor, Petrach, Hudson Taylor and John Wesley.
The format of the book is to include with the letter featured a brief bio/perspective of the writer. In addition, scattered throughout the book there will be a quote (by someone not on the Contents page) and on the other side of the page art work of someone writing a letter and usually their birth-death parentheticals.
This quote is included in the book:
“A letter is a soul, such a faithful copy of the beloved voice which speaks, that fragile souls count it among love’s most precious treasures.”
– Honore’ de Balzac
In looking around to find sites to purchase the book, I came across this article by Rose Marie Berger from September-October 1998 “Putting Pen to Paper” and in her article it includes a short review of today’s book.
Even with the technology readily available to read our books in a digital format it is a joy to stand in front of my double-sided white washed pine book case and choose to read something from among the treasures I have collected there through the years. My bookcase was first introduced here with “Dappled Morning Sun” on March 12, 2015. My plans are to share some more of these books here on future Sundays.
The book, “Best Regards: Recovering the Art of Soulful Letter Writing” by Ben Alex, is available online for sale at sites including Biblio. Being able to secure additional copies of this book for well under $10 each including shipping is a real find! Wishing you a wonderful Sunday in front of us.
Anchors Aweigh,
Helen
Attribution & Thank you to the following who are referenced today —
All images today (Book Cover, and Contents pages photos taken by Helen today) of “Best Regards: Recovering the Art of Soulful Letter Writing” by Ben Alex. Publisher: Abingdon Press, Published on 8/1/1997. It is available on Biblio. @Biblio_com
Link to article by Rose Marie Berger from September-October 1998 “Putting Pen to Paper” Sojourners magazine. @Sojourners
Link to AnchoredScraps.com blog post: Dappled Morning Sun” on March 12, 2015.
