Love Letters of Great Men (Hardcover)

by Ursula Doyle (Editor)

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

 

 

Product Description

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.

See all Editorial Reviews

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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: 8.3 x 5.6 x 0.7 inches Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies) Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (8 customer reviews) Amazon.com Sales Rank: #91,425 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books) Popular in these categories: (What's this?) #28 in  Books > Literature & Fiction > Letters & Correspondence #80 in  Books > Reference > Quotations

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What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

	51% buy the item featured on this page: Love Letters of Great Men 3.8 out of 5 stars (8) $11.53
	34% buy Love Letters of Great Men 4.5 out of 5 stars (23) $19.95
	9% buy Love Letters of Great Men and Women From The Eighteenth Century To The Present Day 4.0 out of 5 stars (21) $11.69
	3% buy Love Letters from Great Men: Like Vincent Van Gogh, Mark Twain, Lewis Carroll, and many More 5.0 out of 5 stars (10) $16.15

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Customer Reviews

8 Reviews 5 star:  (4) 4 star:  (2) 3 star:    (0) 2 star:    (0) 1 star:  (2)           Average Customer Review 3.8 out of 5 stars (8 customer reviews)		Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews 7 of 8 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)    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. 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 (TOP 10 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)    (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)       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 4.0 out of 5 stars This is a great read!, July 10, 2009 By  Cruise Girl (Texas) - See all my reviews This is a very nice book that contains amazing love letters written by famous people in history. I believe it contains most of (if not all) the letters in the book used in the Sex & The City movie. It is simply done in a different format. (Smaller book, prettier cover). I wish that Ursula Doyle would have included love letters from some more recent celebrities. The most recent one mentioned in this book is G. K. Chesterton who lived from 1874-1936. This is an interesting account of how men wrote to their loves in earlier days. I particularly like the one written by Ludwig van Beethoven.		Ad feedback   Most Recent Customer Reviews 5.0 out of 5 stars If only If only real men were like this. But Great ones were and are. What a wonderful idea for a book, beautifully executed with introductions which are illuminating and engrossing. Read more Published 5 months ago by Jessica Morris 5.0 out of 5 stars How can I get my husband to write such letters??? Once I started reading this delightful book, I couldn't put it down. It sheds light on the private lives of such great men as Benjamin Disraeli and Pierre Curie -- who knew they... Read more Published 5 months ago by Baby Stroller 5.0 out of 5 stars Great men, great lovers Loved the book, very romantic. The introductions were nearly as brilliant as the letters themselves. Great Valentines gift for the man in your life. Published 5 months ago by Fortune Cookie 4.0 out of 5 stars Men Can Write Back in the Old Days Personally, I loved the book. The concept is really interesting and the letters included were very, very romantic. Read more Published 5 months ago by Steffi 1.0 out of 5 stars Feels a Bit Cold This book just didn't feel warm and romantic to me. Certainly it's professionally done, but felt a little too corporate. Read more Published 7 months ago by Book Lover Search Customer Reviews Only search this product's reviews

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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: 8.3 x 5.6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #91,425 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #28 in	Books > Literature & Fiction > Letters & Correspondence
  #80 in	Books > Reference > Quotations

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 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)

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.

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 (TOP 10 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)    (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)

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

4.0 out of 5 stars This is a great read!, July 10, 2009

By	Cruise Girl (Texas) - See all my reviews

This is a very nice book that contains amazing love letters written by famous people in history. I believe it contains most of (if not all) the letters in the book used in the Sex & The City movie. It is simply done in a different format. (Smaller book, prettier cover). I wish that Ursula Doyle would have included love letters from some more recent celebrities. The most recent one mentioned in this book is G. K. Chesterton who lived from 1874-1936. This is an interesting account of how men wrote to their loves in earlier days. I particularly like the one written by Ludwig van Beethoven.