Letters of a Nation: A Collection of Extraordinary American Letters [Hardcover]

Andrew Carroll (Editor), Marian Wright Edelman (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1997

Letters of a Nation is the most diverse and comprehensive anthology of American letters ever assembled. Over 200 letters -- many never before published -- are featured here, including letters of love, rage, humor, war, protest, immigration, family, death, and inspiration. From the first pilgrims to President Clinton, this collection spans the full spectrum of America's history and its people.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

The letters in this treasure-trove date from September 1630--when John Winthrop, newly ensconced as governor of Massachusetts, wrote to his wife in England--to August 1996, when a young adopted woman named Michelle Song addressed a moving letter to her yet-undiscovered birth mother. In between are more than 200 other epistles--written by the celebrated and the obscure, the powerful and the powerless--that in aggregate paint a revealing portrait of the United States. The collection's range is enormous--from Groucho Marx's hilarious 1947 tirade to Warner Brothers, which was trying to block him from using A Night in Casablanca as a movie title, to a June 1744 letter from "The Indians of the Six Nations" to William & Mary College, politely declining an offer to educate some of their young (and noting that some previous white-educated Indians "were bad Runners, ignorant of every means of living in the Woods, unable to bear either Cold or Hunger, knew neither how to build a Cabin, take a Deer, or kill an Enemy, spoke our language imperfectly, were therefore neither fit for Hunters, Warriors, or Counsellors.")

Whenever possible, editor Andrew Carroll presents the letters in their original form, complete with capitalization and spelling quirks (including misspellings), which adds to their vividness. His brief introductions tell just enough about each letter without overshadowing their subjects. This splendidly presented piece of research offers a revealing, eminently readable window onto America's past.

From Library Journal

For readers who enjoy reading a wide variety of letters, this book will prove satisfying; those looking for a balanced selection of epistles on specific eras, events, or emotions in the American past will more likely be disappointed. Carroll, executive director of the American Poetry and Literacy Project, has selected and provided superior brief introductions for more than 200 historical and personal letters, arranged in ten categories. The variety is extraordinary. For example, we read Bill Clinton's 1969 draft letter and Elvis Presley's admiring 1970 note to Richard Nixon; the famous, "Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus" letter and Martin Luther King Jr.'s "Letter from a Birmingham Jail." While some of the letters are previously unknown gems, many choices seem to reflect a desire to include the expected and famous. A clearer explanation of the intended reader and the selection process would have been helpful. Not an essential purchase.?Charles K. Piehl, Mankato State Univ., Minn.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 446 pages
• Publisher: Kodansha America; 3rd edition (October 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1568361963
• ISBN-13: 978-1568361963
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.5 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.9 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,077,642 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Letters reveal the true character of a person., December 29, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Letters of a Nation: A Collection of Extraordinary American Letters (Hardcover)

This book is a must read for anyone interested in the inner qualities of our nation's most well-known and respected figures and the lesser-known, who were the people who shaped our country. From the early settlers and our founding fathers to people of the present, this book offers a touching and rewarding look into the lives of people during war, hardships, family life, and many other aspects of life. Letter writing truly reveals the inner part of ourselves. A wonderful book!

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best Book I've Read In 20 Years!, May 24, 1999

By 

R. Williams (Austin, Texas USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Letters of a Nation: A Collection of Extraordinary American Letters (Hardcover)

Andrew Carroll is a quiet genius, working seven long years to bring us this most amazing collection of American literature. I originally stumbled across the paperback edition of Andrew's book in an airport bookstore and minutes later, landed in a city three hours away! I've now purchased copies for all my friends since I've never encountered a more wonderful gift. Buy this book for your mate. Buy another copy for a friend. Buy another one for your parents and be sure to get a copy for yourself. You'll laugh. You'll cry. You'll never be the same again. Roy H. Williams

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Read, August 19, 2002

By 

xaxinojo (tucson,az) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Letters of a Nation: A Collection of Extraordinary American Letters (Hardcover)

This book is easy to read and interesting. The editors notes in front of and behind almost every letter really make the book that little bit more. I found all of the letters interesting and many of them quite moving. Many of the letters illuminated subjects about which i was familiar but did not know that little part of the story. I recommend this book for any and every one. You do not have to be American (although much of the information is perhaps from an American perspective) to feel the things that are brought forth by the reading of these letters.