Lifetime Encyclopedia of Letters Revised and Expanded [Hardcover]

Harold E. Meyer (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0735200343 | ISBN-13: 978-0735200340 | Publication Date: June 15, 1999 | Edition: Rev Exp

This 3rd revised edition features more model letters on more subjects than ever before with over 70 new categories, almost 1000 letters in all, including - asking favours, turning down requests, getting and giving information, making and answering complaints, job hunting, resignation and many more situations.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

The modern conundrum: while the art of letter writing is fast extinguishing, the need for expressive, impressive, appropriate letters is as great as ever. The result? A mortifying amount of miserable missives that sadly miss the mark. E-mail informality is all very well for one's sister in Toledo or one's colleague three cubicles down, but when one needs to promote a product or raise funds, seek a job or request a favor, effectively complain, apologize, or reprimand, or send a letter of condolence, the typically confident and competent achiever gets noodly in the knees. Write a thank-you letter? The prospective correspondent is suddenly busy cleaning his or her desk and organizing the office files.

All you really need is a template to show you the way, and that's where Harold Meyer's Lifetime Encyclopedia of Letters excels. There are 981 letters covering most every business or personal occasion, organized in 600 categories, and followed by a comprehensive index. From Declining Requests (subdivided into "Invitations," "Applications for Credit," and "Donations," among others) and Requesting Favors to Sympathy, Apology, and Thank-You notes, Meyer shows an array of approaches, discusses effective techniques for various intended results, and instructs you on which tone to pursue, depending on whom the letter is going to and what you're trying to achieve. The encyclopedia won't actually write the letter for you or affix the stamp, but it provides proven formats to help structure your thoughts, and smooth starter and closer sentences--typically the hardest to write--to jump-start your communication and end with style. --Stephanie Gold

About the Author

Harold E. Meyer is an industrial accountant with a lifelong passion for words who has collected, analyzed, and rewritten score of letters and directives over the last 30 years. He lives in Sun City West, Arizona.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 480 pages
• Publisher: Prentice Hall Press; Rev Exp edition (June 15, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0735200343
• ISBN-13: 978-0735200340
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 7.1 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,641,031 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Be careful, January 13, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Lifetime Encyclopedia of Letters Revised and Expanded (Hardcover)

The business examples are, for the most part, useful and helpful, albeit very dry and canned. The sections on personal letters, however, are simply dreadful. Completely ignore the chapter on how to write a letter of sympathy or concern; it's obvious this man has never written such a letter or if he has, he is no longer friends with the correspondent.

If you choose to purchase this book, take it with a grain of salt and use your better judgement over one who has no creditials.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Missing most important section!, February 4, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Lifetime Encyclopedia of Letters (3rd Revised and Expanded) (Hardcover)

I was going to ask my employer for a raise this Monday and resorted to the Lifetime Letters book. I could not locate a section on earnings, promotion, raise, salary, wages, pay, increase, income, or simply, MORE. Nothing!!! Nothing at all on any of those subjects. Would this not be one of the most important letters every written in one's life? If your looking for information on how to ask for a wage increase, don't bother to look here.

20 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars excellent source of information, May 23, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Lifetime Encyclopedia of Letters (3rd Revised and Expanded) (Hardcover)

I use it every time I have to corresponde to our customers. It has helped me say what I did not know how to sometimes.