love letters

I love letters. From the days when I was a homesick 11-year-old at boarding school desperately waiting for letters from home, to my university life (when my letter writing to my parents was patchy at best) through all my travels to far-flung corners of the world, I've always loved writing - and receiving - letters. These days, the letters I get (aside from bills and bank statements) are scribbled notes from my little ones.

What is it about letters? Thoughtfully committed to paper, carefully inscribed by hand, it seems sad to think that this lovely, ancient tradition is being usurped by the fleeting pleasures of text and twitter.

That's why I love this site. There are letters from the sublime to the ridiculous, from Iggy Pop to Mark Twain. Love letters, fan letters, Dear John letters, letters of regret, complaint, delight and encouragement. I could spend hours trawling through these interesting snippets from the past and the present.