How They Said It: Wise and Witty Letters from the Famous and Infamous [Paperback]

Rosalie Maggio (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 29, 1999

In her bestseller, How to Say It (over 1 million copies sold), Rosalie Maggio took readers through the rudiments of effective letterwriting. Now the acclaimed author lets 500 remarkable missives speak for themselves. Pithy, charming, and humorous letters penned by historical, political, and literary figures illustrate that the ultimate hallmarks of any good letter are clarity, sincerity, and personality. Arranged in 29 categories, letters cover every situation, including thanks, apologies, congratulations, complaints, invitations, love letters, get-well wishes, refusals, employment issues, and money problems. Readers will revel in Napoleon's letter of complaint about the ugly porcelain dinner service he ordered as a gift for his wife; Lillian Carter's homesick letter from the Peace Corps ("I have had four days of complete inertia caused by homesickness and no mail ... nobody loves me, I am forgotten, I hate Mabel's guts, they push me too hard here, no clothes, no food, no nothing, I wish I were dead!"); P.T. Barnum's inquiry about obtaining a mummy for his circus; Paul Laurence Dunbar's love letter to his future wife; Groucho Marx's light-hearted get-well note to T.S. Eliot; Jenny Lind's sympathetic letter to Clara Schumann after her jewels were stolen; and E.B. White's classically concise letter of refusal: "Thanks for your letter inviting me to join the committee of the Arts and Sciences for Eisenhower. I must decline, for secret reasons." HOW THEY SAID IT provides hours of reading pleasure--as well as the best "model letters"--a bountiful assemblage of some of the most entertaining and memorable letters ever written.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Rosalie Maggio is the author of the bestseller, How to Say It, and a number of other books including eight collections of quotations.

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Prentice Hall Press (October 29, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0735201323
• ISBN-13: 978-0735201323
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 7 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,119,099 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An inspiration; can make even cover letters fun to write., April 25, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: How They Said It: Wise and Witty Letters from the Famous and Infamous (Paperback)

It's hard to believe how USEFUL this book is because it is so entertaining, too! I started reading it in the store and was laughing so hard at the witty things people have written that I had to buy it. What's amazing, though, is how often I've used it since then. I figured I would just read the book once, have a good laugh, and then put it on my shelf. But you would not believe how many times I've had it back in my hand -- every time I have to write a thank-you note or a cover letter or a letter of condolence, or some other really joyless piece of writing. What I find makes this one better than other books on letter writing is that it is inspiring -- it doesn't give lists of words or phrases to use (which always sound fake coming from me), but inspires me to say what I mean. Sometimes that means being terse, sometimes it means being flowery, and sometimes, it simply means being honest. The people in this book were undeniably great writers, and the fact that they broke the mold inspires me to try, too. Clearly, my letters haven't gotten to the level of Alcott's or Dickens' yet, but at least they're a lot more fun to write. I highly recommend the book -- it's a fun read and an invaluable tool.