The 50 Greatest Love Letters of All Time

Rating:
Summary: Wrong title, in my opinion
Review: I really think that this book should be titled "50 Greatest Love Letters from Celebrites and Well Known People." Some of the letters are very lovely and beautiful, but I think that if the author really wanted to stick to the "of all time" phrase, then he shouldn't have limited it to letters written by people well known in their profession, celebrities, etc. I'm sure that there are some letters out there even more great than some of these, but they're only written by people not in the glare of the media spotlight.

Rating:
Summary: Fascinating choice of letters, plus insightful commentary
Review: Previously, I reviewed David Lowenherz' latest book (THE 50
GREATEST LETTERS FROM AMERICA'S WARS) . . . I liked it
so much that I felt compelled to find and read his first book,
THE 50 GREATES LOVE LETTERS OF ALL TIME . . . if
anything, it was even better!

It is one thing to read an e-mail, fax or instant message; it is
quite something different to read an actual love letter that has
been put down in writing . . . but best of all, not only do you
get to read the letter, you also get to find out what happened
afterwards to both the writer and recipient via the author's
commentary.

I liked the various groupings that were used: tender love, crazy
for you, passionate prose, painful separations, fire and ice, and
forbidden love . . . also, I enjoyed the diverse range of writers
that were chosen, ranging from Mozart to George Bush and
including such other notables as Elizabeth Barrett Browning,
Harry Truman, Benjamin Franklin, Ernest Hemmingway,
Virginia Woolf, Alfred Dreyfus, Oscar Wilde, James Thurber,
and Frank Lloyd Wright.

It would be hard to choose any one letter as "best," so rather
than try, let me just share the following correspondence
written by Ronald Reagan to Nancy Reagan as a tribute
to their loving and supportive relationship:

March 4, 1981

Dear First Lady

As Pres. of the U.S., it is my honor & privilege to cite you for service above
and beyond the call of duty in that you have made one man (me) the most
happy man in the world for 29 years.

Beginning in 1951, Nancy Davis, seeing the plight of a lonely man who didn't
know how lonely he really was, determined to rescue him from a completely
empty life. Refusing to be rebuffed by a certain amount of stupidity on his
part she ignored his somewhat slow response. With patience & tenderness
she gradually brought the light of understanding to his darkened obtuse
mind and he discovered the joy of loving someone, with all his heart.
Nancy Davis then went on to bring him happiness for the next 29 years as
Nancy Davis Reagan for which she has received & will continue to receive
his undying devotion forever & ever.

She has done this in spite of the fact that he still can't find the words to
tell her how lost he would be without her. He sits in the Oval office from
which he can see (if he scrooches down) her window and feels warm all
over just knowing she is there.

The above is the statement of the man who benefited from her act of
heroism.

The below is his signature.

Ronald Reagan-Pres. of the U.S.

P.S. He-I mean, I love and adore you.

Rating:
Summary: A Reminder of How Grand Love Really Is!
Review: This is a glorious book. Of course, you have to love little things like history and literature and romance to really enjoy it. But even if you only adore one out of those three, you'll enjoy peeking into the initimate lives of these letter writers.
There are just over four dozen wonderful letters to indulge in. Love shared from knowns and unknowns. You can melt your heart with the words of Harry Truman to Bess Wallace or light a fire in your soul with words to Philip Legler from Anne Sexton.

Take yourself back in time to your own first love with Franz Kafka's passion, ". . .for hours on end my head hums with the desire to hear the name Felice."
Too corny for you? OK. I can accept that. Maybe you're not a mushy kind-a sort, that's cool. But everyone can identify with the kind of love expressed by Horatio Nelson to Emma Hamilton, "I hope to have letters from you who I hold dearer than any other person in this world."
We ALL hold someone dearer than all others--don't we?

Can't we all understand George Bush's words to Barbara Bush?
". . .To know that you love me means my life."
It's all here: everything from "Tender Love" to "Crazy for You" love. There's "Passionate Prose" and "Painful Separations." There's "Fire and Ice" and "Forbidden Love."
These words, that were once intended for only one other person in the world to read, have a wide appeal. Because love is worldwide. Some of these letters are a difficult read, I won't fool you. But the other 99% are charming and elegant, worthy of a slow read.
My favorite part (you knew I'd have to share it) are seven passionate words penned by Elizabeth Barrett Browning to her brother. She's speaking to him about her husband Robert Browning. ". . .he loved me with no ordinary affection."
Heavy sigh. . .
Finally, Oscar Wilde wrote to Constance Wilde, "The air is full of the music of your voice, my soul and body seem no longer mine, but mingled in some exquisite ecstasy with yours."
Wow! Where can you find a better midnight read than this stuff?