The 50 Greatest Love Letters of All Time [Hardcover]

David Lowenherz (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 8, 2002

If a picture speaks a thousand words, a love letter speaks a thousand more . . .

Even in this age of e-mail, faxes, and instant messaging, nothing has ever replaced the power of a love letter. Much the way light displays every color when passed through a prism, love letters express the spectrum of our emotions, offering a colorful glimpse into the soul of the writer, and of the writer’s beloved. For passionate readers and lovers of words, a letter is irresistible.

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.

Zelda Fitzgerald to Scott Fitzgerald
Michelangelo Buonarroti to Vittoria Colonna
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart toConstanze 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
Marc Chagall to Bella Chagall
Ernest Hemingway to Mary Welsh
Jack Kerouac to Sebastian Sampas
Alfred Dreyfus to Lucie Dreyfus
Marjorie Fossa to Elvis Presley
Vita Sackville-West to Virginia Woolf
Virginia Woolf to Vita Sackville-West
Ludwig van Beethoven to the “Immortal Beloved”
Emma Goldman to Ben Reitman
Frida Kahlo to Diego Rivera
Dylan Thomas to Caitlin Thomas
Franz Kafka to Felice Bauer
Napoleon Bonaparte to Josephine Bonaparte
Abigail Smith to John Adams
John Ruskin to Euphemia Ruskin
George Sand to Gustave Flaubert
Simone de Beauvoir to Nelson Algren
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

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

"The act of writing," proposes Lowenherz, "gives us a chance to reflect in private before exposing our heart." Hence the value of the love letter as an abiding expression of the writer's feelings in all their depth and complexity. A prominent collector and dealer in letters and historical memorabilia, Lowenherz presents letters (or fragments thereof) that collectively express the full range of amorous passion, from blind adoration to angst-ridden vituperation. Included are the romantic outpourings of celebrated writers George Sand, Virginia Woolf, Ernest Hemingway, Zelda and F. Scott Fitzgerald whose literary talents make their correspondence a model for any aspiring lover. Perhaps less gifted in their command of language, but certainly no less heartfelt, are selections from such notables as Harry Truman, Abigail Adams, Ronald Reagan, George Bush and an adoring Elvis fan from New Jersey. While reading through too many of these missives in one go might send some readers on an emotional roller coaster, dipping into the collection here and there will be inspiring for those who seek to command the attention of their loved ones. Not surprisingly, some of the most passionate declarations of love herein were uttered by lovers who later proved fickle. But there are some unexpected revelations, too: the ostensibly reserved George Bush, for example, is an effusive epistolary lover. 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." Photos. (Jan.)Forecast: If Crown can generate enough publicity for this, it should be a cinch for literate lovers on Valentine's Day.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Adult/High School-A collector and dealer in letters, manuscripts, and signed photographs has gathered together an anthology showing a diverse, unusual, and not always romantic view of love. A brief introduction to each letter gives some background about the writer and the recipient. Photographs accompany some of the letters. The correspondents include such people as Harry Truman, Jack London, and Sarah Bernhardt. Reading through the letters, readers see vivid examples of how the expression and the language of love have changed over the years. When one considers how e-mail and instant messaging are changing the face of even our most intimate communications, these letters recall a different and sometimes gentler time. Reading some of them will give teens a peek into the private thoughts of people whose names they have seen in books or heard about in class. It might even inspire them to write some letters of their own.
Peggy Bercher, Fairfax County Public Library, VA
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: Crown; 1st edition (January 8, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0812932773
• ISBN-13: 978-0812932775
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #243,143 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars i guess, January 9, 2005

By 

char1077 (Petoskey, MI United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The 50 Greatest Love Letters of All Time (Hardcover)

I was not as impressed with this anthology as most of the other people who posted reviews. I found it a bit disconcerting there were only a fraction of letters from before the 19th century. I'm sure that was a prolific letter writing century but really, there have to be earlier letters than that. Some of the love letters weren't even love letters! The one from Michaelangelo to Vittoria Colonna was more a commentary on the weather. At least half of the letters showcased their best (which was sometimes the only) loving lines in the letter in the hard-to-read cursive at the beginning. Some of them are very wonderful letters which is why it got three stars. I found Jack Kerouac's to Sebastian Sampas to be quite entertaining and George Bush Sr.'s letter to Barbara was touching. Buy this at a discount price if you must have it, maybe you'll be more impressed than I was.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Share the Love in this Book, February 7, 2005

By 

Celia A. Escalante (Miami, Fl USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The 50 Greatest Love Letters of All Time (Hardcover)

This book is a beautiful collection of deep and candid feelings of love and admiration. I hope to one day share this book with my future husband, wherever he may be. This is an inspiring book. An amazing feature is that writers, artists, composers such as Mozart, American Presidents and other famous people we incorporate ideas and generate thoughts about have part of their souls exposed to us in each page. We are all the same in God's eyes and feelings of love have always been. Nothing's new; only repeated and celebrated.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Not another silly love letter, January 24, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: The 50 Greatest Love Letters of All Time (Hardcover)

Rather than bore the reader with a parade of cute love letters, David Lowenherz's volume The 50 Greatest Love Letters of All Time includes the full range of emotions of a passionate relationship. The book is divided into the sections Tender Love, Crazy for You, Passionate Prose, Painful Separations, Fire and Ice and Forbidden Love. From a desperate letter of serial monogamist Ernest Hemingway to an irate letter of Frank Lloyd Wright this volume will surprise and entertain readers of all interests. These letters provide a surprising glimpse into the private lives of such luminaries as Voltaire, anarchist Emma Goldman, Elizabeth I, Benjamin Franklin and Lewis Carroll. And Lowenherz carefully puts each letter into context bringing out the intent and spirit of each. The volume also includes many illustrations of the letters, their writers and the recipients.