Envelopes: A Puzzling Journey Through the Royal Mail [Hardcover]

Harriet Russell (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1, 2005

Embark on a puzzling journey through the Royal Mail

Open this book, and you will discover a most curious and diverting collection of decorated envelopes, all of which have been sent though the United Kingdom’s Royal Mail system.

In Envelopes, Harriet Russell has created a wealth of different ways of communicating an address: mazes, join the dots, anagrams, illustrations, puns, visual games, experimental fonts, puzzles, and literary wordplay.

You may find it hard to believe that the majority of envelopes arrived at their intended destinations, but they did, and all have postmarks to prove it! Their safe delivery is a tribute to the heroic postal employees who rose to the challenge.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 96 pages
• Publisher: Random House (November 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1400064007
• ISBN-13: 978-1400064007
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 8.1 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,341,586 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Return to sender, January 5, 2006

By 

Westley (Stuck in my head) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

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This review is from: Envelopes: A Puzzling Journey Through the Royal Mail (Hardcover)

Mail carriers in the UK must either really appreciate games or be far more patient than their American counterparts. Author Harriet Russell grew up in a house called Shulbrede Priory; not surprisingly, people often misspelled that name, and Harriet bemusedly noted how often her family received their mail even when it was grossly mislabeled. Harriet later moved into a flat with a less challenging address, but viewed her earlier mail experience as a challenge; she began mailing herself letters. However, for kicks she purposefully obscured her address in various ways. Initially, she simply tried to make the address difficult to read; for example, the first envelope in this book presents the address written in mirror image. When these inaugural efforts arrived unscathed at her home, she made them more challenging - veritable mysteries for the mail carriers. One of the envelopes involved a crossword puzzle, and sure enough a postal worker carefully solved the puzzle, recording the responses in red ink and neatly written block letters. Other envelopes required a dot-to-dot procedure or cracking a code before the address became apparent.

Harriet writes that, of the 130 envelopes she sent, 120 were delivered successfully. She even started sending them to relatives and friends so as to make sure that it wasn't simply the case that the postal service knew to send all odd looking envelopes to her. This conceit is a rather thin topic for a book. However, the 75 envelopes presented here are quite beautiful - nearly works of art. Harriet's artistic skills are somewhat primitive, but she clearly took care designing them. Pouring through them is entertaining, and they can be enjoyed aesthetically as well. The only quibble is that I wish that she had included some text for each envelope. Many of them are fully self-explanatory, but some narrative about others would be helpful. However, overall this whimsical book is quite pleasant and amusing.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars * SALUTING LIGHT-HEARTED POSTAL EMPLOYEES *, May 8, 2008

By 

mcHaiku "nmi" (Brown County INDIANA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Envelopes: A Puzzling Journey Through the Royal Mail (Hardcover)

Now & then we need to relax with a playful book. In this 2005 title from England, art student Harriet Russell shows what fun she had decorating envelopes & then mailing them TO HERSELF.

The "decorations" cleverly incorporate addresses to puzzle out - and patient employees of the Royal Mail did just that. The author calls them "heroic" for tolerating such foolishness (and fun). They doubtless enjoyed deciphering the addresses in a dot-to-dot puzzle, an eye chart, a maze - to mention a sampling. Only a handful went undelivered.

Readers will probably conclude that employees of the Royal Mail can shrug off red tape & being stiff-necked about regulations. Reviewer mcHaiku tracked a copy of Russell's "ENVELOPES" (isbn: #1400064007) via Inter Library Loan, a superb agency that supplies books to those who want "to look before they leap" - - this has been one of the more satisfactory "finds" during a Spring that has been chilly, and laid low by the quagmire of politics.

Harriet Russell's creativity brings a warmth and light-heartedness to the reading circle.

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderfully curious!, November 4, 2011

By 

Kyra E. Hicks "kquilt" (Virginia) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Envelopes - a Puzzling Journey Through the Royal Mail (Hardcover)

What a delightful book! I enjoyed seeing the various envelopes and miss that folks to write letters all the more! Hope to see more from Harriet Rusell.