Love Letters of Great Men [Hardcover]

Ursula Doyle (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 25, 2008

Remember the wonderfully romantic book of love letters that Carrie reads aloud to Big in the recent blockbuster film, Sex and the City? Fans raced to buy copies of their own, only to find out that the beautiful book didn't actually exist. However, since all of the letters referenced in the film did exist, we decided to publish this gorgeous keepsake ourselves. 

Love Letters of Great Men follows hot on the heels of the film and collects together some of history's most romantic letters from the private papers of Beethoven, Mark Twain, Mozart, and Lord Byron. For some of these great men, love is "a delicious poison" (William Congreve); for others, "a nice soft wife on a sofa with good fire, & books & music" (Charles Darwin). Love can scorch like the heat of the sun (Henry VIII), or penetrate the depths of one's heart like a cooling rain (Flaubert). Every shade of love is here, from the exquisite eloquence of Oscar Wilde and the simple devotion of Robert Browning, to the wonderfully modern misery of the Roman Pliny the Younger, losing himself in work to forget how much he misses his beloved wife, Calpurnia. 
Taken together, these letters show that perhaps men haven't changed all that much over the last 2,000 years--passion, jealousy, hope and longing still rule their hearts and minds. In an age of e-mail and texted "i luv u"s, this timeless and unique collection reminds us that nothing can compare to the simple joy of sitting down to read a letter from the one you love.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Inspired by Sex and the City...the most romantic book ever." -- Daily Mail (UK)

 

“Love Letters will sell boatloads of books—He's Just Not That Into You...became a phenomenon thanks to the rabid fans of the show.” –Entertainment Weekly

 

 

About the Author

Ursula Doyle lives in London where she was, until recently, the deputy publisher of Picador.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 160 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Press (November 25, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312567448
• ISBN-13: 978-0312567446
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 6.2 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #248,517 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Not at all like the one seen in the movie... DISAPPOINTMENT!, January 16, 2009

By 

Karen Beth Martin "book belle" (Oxford, MS, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Love Letters of Great Men (Hardcover)

The picture of this book online is pretty. Pretty color, nice design, nice synopsis, etc. All very nice.

Only when you GET the book do you realize that it is small - in size and in length! It isn't a large, epic book like you see Carrie with at all. Not at all. This book is 144 pages, large type with a LOT of white space.

The book is also totally commercialized. The first few lines of the text on the jacket mention Carrie, Big and Sex and the City. I went to find such a book after seeing it in the movie, yes, but didn't want one with that splashed all over it. Tacky.

And finally, they tout that there was no book like the one in the movie before this one. Well, that just isn't true. If you do a search for such books (here on Amazon), you will find several that match very closely and are certainly the same concept.

I will sell this one and go buy one of those. This one wasn't worth the money or shelf space.

Don't bother. Do a quick search and get a real book.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Is as it seems, September 11, 2009

By 

SashaHM (Miami, FL, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Love Letters of Great Men (Hardcover)

I really don't understand the people who are negatively reviewing this book. It makes absolutely no sense to me. What were they expecting? An exact replica of the one from the film Sex & the City? Are they willing to cough up $100 like J.K. Rowling asked when she replicated the Tales of the Beedle Bard?...didn't think so.

I have this book, I read it and I LOVED it. I found it in a bookstore actually and had no idea it was even a real book until I accidentally came across it. I'm really glad that I did.

Before you get to the real letters, the page before gives you a historical background on the person who wrote it, who they wrote it too and their life. It's very short, to the point and very sweet.

This book is an easy and enjoyable read. It's not meant to be life changing or drama infested. It is what it is and if you are someone who could appreciate that, then all the more power to you.

So basically, if you want an enjoyable, easy and historical romantic read -- here you go. This is the book for you.
Take it or leave it. I bought it, it's a keeper and I hope you enjoy it too :)

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars ALL THE WORLD LOVES A LOVER, December 4, 2008

By 

Gail Cooke (TX, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Love Letters of Great Men (Audio CD)

Whether or not you remember the scene in the film Sex and the City in which Carrie read from a book of love letters to Mr. Big doesn't really matter. What is of import is that when Ursula Doyle, formerly deputy editor of Picador, noted the flurry of women looking for the book that did not really exit, she decided to make it happen.

Make it happen she did by researching the private papers of a number of famous men and collecting their intimate thoughts on love. It is no surprise that the feelings aroused by love have not changed very much over the centuries. What is surprising and endearing is the expression given to those feelings by some of the most articulate fellows who have ever lived, including such disparate individuals as Mark Twain, Henry VIII, and Roman Pliny the Younger.

Reading these letters is one thing, hearing them is quite another matter. If love letters are going to be heard let them always be given voice by noted Shakespearean actor Anton Lesser. His resonant, theatre trained voice easily moves from plaintive entreaty to harsh scolding when a loved one feels he has been neglected. Lesser's readings of letters describing the depth of one's love for another are indeed sigh producing.

As is said, all the world loves a lover and all will love this collection.

- Gail Cooke