If you could write a letter to anyone, and ask them anything, who would you write to, and what would you ask? In this, the digital age, it’s become an increasingly rare thing to receive a letter in ...

The letter “x” often symbolizes something unknown, with an air of mystery that can be appealing. Illustration by Meilan Solly Even though “x” is one of the least-used letters in the English alphabet, ...

Our inquiry into the subject of letter writing began innocently enough, when we were reflecting on the subject of “Christmas letters.” We were soon deep into the history of letter writing and all its ...

The invention of the letter, as a means of conveying news and other kinds of information, is often attributed to a Persian queen, Atossa, who reigned 2,500 years ago. But none of her correspondence ...

Letter-writing in the 18th century. I was less quick to understand that letters were not just a source for learning about religion and slavery; rather, letter-writing itself is a practice with a ...

This article first appeared in Stars and Stripes, May 9, 2014. It is republished unedited in its original form. In his spare Washington apartment, author and popular historian Andrew Carroll stood ...

‘There’s an unwritten rule of a letter, which is that whatever happens in this letter stays in the letter,’ said Rachel Syme.Photograph: Eerik/Getty Images When you think of your mailbox, what comes ...