24 Hour Library

Introduction

Handwritten correspondence. Snail mail. Post. Letters. With the advent of the Internet, snail mail may be a less common way to communicate, but it is in no way dead. Just as society continued to use letters post-telephone as a way of communicating, so it continues to do so now. Whether you’re writing a meaningful note to an old friend or starting a new friendship with a pen pal, you’ll find plenty of resources here to get you started. Items are divided by the following categories: History, Memoirs, & Prose (nonfiction about letter-writing and the experiences of letter-writers), Collections (collected letters written by individuals both famous and unknown), Ideas & DIY (crafty ways to have a little fun with your correspondence), and Pen Pal Resources (how-to’s, where to find pen pals, and other tidbits). Some items may be cross-listed and noted with an asterisk (*). Electronic materials will be noted with a double asterisk (**). Items are listed in alphabetical order by title. When available, links to items for purchase will be presented. This is not to advocate for or endorse any one store or brand over another, but to offer some of the many available options. Materials listed are appropriate for teens and adults. Questions? Leave them in the comments of this resource guide and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can.

This pathfinder was created as an assignment for INFO 210-10 (3U), for the Reference and Information Services course at San José State University in Fall 2015.

About the Creator

Abby Hargreaves is a student in San José State University’s Master of Library and Information Science program. She plans to graduate in May 2016 and looks forward to a career in a public library, working with teens and adults in reference and programming services. Abby lives, reads, and writes in Arlington, Virginia. She has three pen pals and regularly corresponds with other individuals in her life.

 

Want to know about real people writing real letters for the love of mail? Here, you’ll find some excellent options for just that topic. Discover the benefits, feats, and connective power of snail mail.

• Always First Class: The Pleasure of Personal Letters by Lois Barry
• The Art of the Handwritten Note: A Guide to Reclaiming Civilized Communication by Margaret Shepherd*
• For the Love of Letters: The Joy of Slow Communication by John O’Connell
• The Gift of the Letter by Alexandra Stoddard
• I Will Always Write Back: How One Letter Changed Two Lives by Martin Ganda, Caitlin Alifirenka, and Liz Welch
• If You Find This Letter: My Journey to Find Purpose through Hundreds of Letters to Strangers by Hannah Bencher
• Kind Regards: The Lost Art of Letter-Writing by Liz Williams*
• Letters Home: How Writing Can Change Your Life by Terry Vance
• Signed, Sealed, Delivered: Celebrating the Joys of Letter Writing by Nina Sankovitch
• Snail Mail My Email: Handwritten Letters in a Digital World by Ivan Cash*

 

Curious about what famous individuals such as C.S. Lewis were writing their friends and acquaintances about? Or maybe you’re more interested in the lives of children in the Great Depression’s Dust Bowl. Either way, you’ll find curated collections of real letters in the titles below.

• To the Letter: A Celebration of the Lost Art of Letter Writing by Simon Garfield
• The Adams-Jefferson Letters: The Complete Correspondence between Thomas Jefferson and Abigail and John Adams by Lester J. Cappon
• Between Friends: The Correspondence of Hannah Arendt and Mary McCarthy 1949 – 1975 by Hannah Arendt, Mary McCarthy, and Carol Brightman
• The Collected Letters of C. S. Lewis by C. S. Lewis
• Dear Mrs. Roosevelt: Letters from Children of the Great Depression by Robert Cohen
• Dear Scott, Dearest Zelda: The Love Letters of F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald by F. Scott Fitzgerald and Zelda Fitzgerald
• Letters Home: Correspondence 1950 – 1963 by Sylvia Plath and Aurelia Schober Plath
• The Letters of Arthur Schlesinger, Jr. by Andrew Schlesinger and Steven Schlesinger
• Letters of Note: An Eclectic Collection of Correspondence Deserving of a Wider Audience by Shaun Usher
• P. G. Wodehouse: A Life in Letters by P. G. Wodehouse and Sophie Ratcliffe
• Posterity: Letters of Great Americans to Their Children by Dorie McCullough Lawson
• PostSecret: Extraordinary Confessions from Ordinary Lives by Frank Warren
• Snail Mail My Email: Handwritten Letters in a Digital World by Ivan Cash*

 

You’re committed to writing, but what to write? This section will guide you on your way to fun and meaningful missives with plenty of ideas on not only what to write about, but how to design it, and unusual items to send.

• 21 Things You’d Be Surprised You Can Actually Mail**
• 25 Things to Write a Pen Pal About**
• 38 Unexpected Ways to Revel in Snail Mail**
• The Art of the Handwritten Note: A Guide to Reclaiming Civilized Communication by Margaret Shepherd*
• The Art of the Personal Letter: A Guide to Connecting through the Written Word by Margaret Shepherd and Sharon Hogan
• Creative Correspondence by Judy Jacobs
• The Envelope Mill: Recycle Magazines into Beautifully Crafted Envelopes by Haila Harvey
• Good Mail Day:  A Primer for Making Eye-Popping Postal Art by Jennie Hinchcliff
• The Handcrafted Letter by Diane Maurer-Mathison
• In the Mail on Monday**
• Just a Note to Say…: The Perfect Words for Every Occasion by Florence Isaacs
• Let’s Be Pen Pals: Tips & Tricks to Bring Back the Joy of Snail Mail**
• Mail Art: 16 Really Cool Ways to Address an Envelope**
• On a Personal Note: A Guide to Writing Notes with Style by Angela Ensminger and Keely Chace
• Personal Notes: How to Write from the Heart for Any Occasion by Sandra E. Lamb
• Pushing the Envelope: Crafty Packaging for Cards of All Kinds by Marthe Le Van
• Recycled Envelopes How-To**
• Sincerely Yours: How to Write Great Letters by Elizabeth James and Carol Barkin
• Snail Mail: Rediscovering the Art and Craft of Handmade Correspondence by Michelle Mackintosh
• What Is Snail Mail: The Lost Art of Letterwriting by Tamara Stevens*

 

Don’t have a pen pal, but want one? Want to know shipping costs? Solutions to those problems and more below. Sites for finding pen pals are denoted with a caret (^). Letter writers should always use caution when engaging with pen-pal-finding services and are responsible for their use of any of the listed sites.

• Black and Pink** ^ (LGBTQIAA Pen Pals)
• Crane & Co** (Stationery)
• FedEx
• Find Teen Pen Pals** ^
• Geek Girl Pen Pals** ^
• International Pen Pals at My Language Exchange** ^
• Papersource** (Stationery)
• Papyrus** (Stationery)
• The Pen Pal Project** ^
• The Place for Pen Pals** ^
• Prison Pen Pals** ^
• United States Postal Service**
• UPS

 

Want to know about letter-writing and pen pal relationships in the news? Check out some of these articles below.

• Best of (Pen) Pals: Baton Rouge Woman, British Man Celebrate 50 Years of Writing Each Other Letters, Faxes, Emails**
• Dear World: Letter Writing Is Alive and Well. Signed: The Pen Pal Club**
• Pen Pals Celebrate a Six-Decade Friendship**
• Pen Pals Unite after 51 Years**