“The 50 Greatest Love Letters of All Time” is a book Edited by David
“The 50 Greatest Love Letters of All Time”
The book was published in 2002. The book is a collection of inspiring Love Letters that have been curated with the result being the selections that did make it into this book.
From Goodreads (with an average rating of 3.32 out of 5 from 195 ratings): “Internationally renowned collector David Lowenherz sifted through hundreds and hundreds of historical and contemporary epistles and selected the most ardent, witty, whimsical, sexy, clever, and touching letters for this inspiring collection. Unlike interviews or biographies, these letters give us marvelous insight into the lives of some of history’s most famous lovers and provide intimate glimpses into the hearts of some whose fervent or amusing expressions of devotion will come as a great surprise.”
And from an Editorial Review by Publisher’s Weekly : “Lowenherz introduces each letter with a quick, helpful biographical note about the author, and the collection as a whole reveals an infinite number of ways to say “I love you.””
Some of the letters included are:
Zelda Fitzgerald to Scott Fitzgerald
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to Constanze Mozart
Harry Truman to Bess Wallace
Khalil Gibran to Mary Haskell
Benjamin Franklin to Madame Brillon
Horatio Nelson to Emma Hamilton
George Bush to Barbara Pierce
Henry VIII to Anne Boleyn
Elizabeth Barrett Browning to George Barrett
Jack London to Anna Strunsky
Ernest Hemingway to Mary Welsh
Jack Kerouac to Sebastian Sampas
Marjorie Fossa to Elvis Presley
Ludwig van Beethoven to the “Immortal Beloved”
Franz Kafka to Felice Bauer
Napoleon Bonaparte to Josephine Bonaparte
Abigail Smith to John Adams
George Sand to Gustave Flaubert
Anaïs Nin to Henry Miller
Voltaire to Marie Louise Denis
James Thurber to Eva Prout
George Bernard Shaw to Stella Campbell
Sarah Bernhardt to Jean Richepin
Marcel Proust to Daniel Halevy
Frank Lloyd Wright to Maude Miriam Noel
Anne Sexton to Philip Legler
Elizabeth I to Thomas Seymour
Oscar Wilde to Constance Lloyd
Katherine Mansfield to John Middleton Maury
Charles Parnell to Katherine O’Shea
Lewis Carroll to Clara Cunnyngham
From reading through some of the reviews on this book, some described it as not THE greatest collection ever while others raved about the collection of letters presented.
I’ve gone ahead and found a used copy of the book to order and look forward to its arrival. If you are still trying to figure out something unique to give your Valentine perhaps this will help be an option – print off a copy of the book ordered and tuck it into the Valentine’s Day card with the fun of awaiting its arrival in the mail! Happy Friday!
Anchors Aweigh,
Helen
Attribution & Thank you to the following who are referenced today —
Image upper left cover and excerpt – The 50 Greatest Love Letters of All Time – Edited by David Lowenherz as shown on Goodreads
Excerpt from The 50 Greatest Love Letters of All Time Hardcover – January 8, 2002 by
