Of the billions of pieces of correspondence that have been sent through the ages- via messenger, pony express, post office, email and carrier pigeon – many have proved to be either significant, historic, inspiring, fascinating, heartbreaking…or some combination of them all.
Collected here are some of these letters; some by famous figures from world history, others from ordinary citizens, soldiers, scientists and creative artists. But each of these pieces of correspondence have stood the test of time and deserve recognition as some of the most important, moving and historically resonant letters ever written.
Fort Raphael Publishing has selected the letters that make up this unique collection, which range from St. Paul spreading the gospel in the years following the death of Christ, all the way up to President Nixon’s speechwriter preparing a draft of a speech to be delivered in the event the moon landing ended in disaster.
Also included in this collection: Winston Churchill chastising an isolationist in the weeks leading up to World War II. Artist Frida Kahlo severing her relationship with her husband. Author Bram Stoker writing a fan letter to his idol, Walt Whitman (and Whitman’s response!). Jane Austen, the day after a huge party, lamenting her lingering hangover. And King Henry VIII courting Anne Bolyn in a series of love letters, she little suspecting how horribly their future marriage will end.
From the hilarious to the sublime, heartbreaking to ridiculous, these are some of the greatest and most important letters ever written.