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Rating: 
Summary: Stay away from this book, author and publisher!
Review: I bought this book because it was the only one with CD-ROM. CD has MS Word files with all letters from the book. However, when I read the letters, I was not very impressed. Most of them a very short which makes them hard to customize. It seems that author is trying to walk a fine line between being terse and being rude. Sorry for the style of this review- if I could write better, I wouldn't pay money for the book!
Rating:
Summary: For a small business owner not the average consumer...
Review: I purchased this book thinking that the author provided a voice to capture my thoughts when dealing with merchants. Why I ever doubted my ability to write my experience with a product or services, I do not know. I agree that this book provides a template. If you use a Wordprocessing software application it already comes with one. I would not recommed this as a purchase for the average consumer.
This book is written more for the small business owner, who for example, is attempting to collect bad debts or negotiating for better pricing on business services.
Rating: 
Summary: A Good Reference Item
Review: I'm confused by the previous reviews. It seems like the objections are to the CD-ROM...our copy didn't come with one. I work in a library, and when I have trouble writing a letter or more often coming up with wording for a condolence card (I'm hopeless at this) I run to the stacks for this book! I find it most useful for appropriate ideas not necessarily a complete letter. If I don't find the subject matter I need I plunder other letters for the right words...sometimes just a sentence can get me started. I've recommended this book to other staff members who have found useful information in it. I just ordered a copy for our professional reference collection!!! This book is a great resource, but perhaps not the answer to ALL letter writing ills.
Rating:
Summary: A Good Reference Item
Review: I'm confused by the previous reviews. It seems like the objections are to the CD-ROM...our copy didn't come with one. I work in a library, and when I have trouble writing a letter or more often coming up with wording for a condolence card (I'm hopeless at this) I run to the stacks for this book! I find it most useful for appropriate ideas not necessarily a complete letter. If I don't find the subject matter I need I plunder other letters for the right words...sometimes just a sentence can get me started. I've recommended this book to other staff members who have found useful information in it. I just ordered a copy for our professional reference collection!!! This book is a great resource, but perhaps not the answer to ALL letter writing ills.
Rating: 
Summary: Be careful
Review: 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.
Rating: 
Summary: As a template, THE BOOK is very useful
Review: The Lifetime Encyclopedia of Letters has come in handy for me on several occasions (both business and personal). The book itself is broken down into categories, and within these are outlines, models, indexes, open/closing sentences, and example letters for each category. The "How To Do It" outline provides you with a step-by-step process for each letter. This helps to keep your letter focused. The explanations in the outline is brief, and somewhat vague, but if you follow through with the model letter, you can see what direction your letter would take. There are also suggestions for opening and closing sentences. This will help jog your inspiration. I never used any of the suggested sentences, but it did give me a clear idea of how I should open and close my letters. Many times, hesitation has been a result of not knowing how to start... this book helped solve that problem for me. The best feature of this book is the variety of letters. Some are more aggressive than others, and this can be tailored to what you are trying to "sell" or say. The contrasts in letter presentation gives you a chance to choose the most appropriate letter for those who will read it. The personal letter section is useful for the more "delicate" correspondence (compliments, reprimand, gifts, etc...). This book guided me with proper etiquette through some very nerve-wracking letters. It also provided me with the confidence to write more letters for appropriate situations. I have actually received compliments from letter receivers! This book is meant to be used throughout your lifetime, for business and personal uses. My copy is pretty old, and I still use it. The letters I write using the encyclopedia are absolutely my own. Because I view this book as a template of standards, I merely adapt it to suit my own personal style and needs. I recommend it to anyone who needs to write a letter and wants to do it right with the best results.
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