Love Letters of Great Men

by Ursula Doyle

Book Overview

Remember the wonderfully romantic book of love letters that Carrie reads aloud to Big in the recent blockbuster film, Sex and the City? Fans raced to buy copies of their own, only to find out that the beautiful book didn't actually exist. However, since all of the letters referenced in the film did exist, we decided to publish this gorgeous keepsake ourselves.

Love Letters of Great Men follows hot on the heels of the film and collects together some of history's most romantic letters from the private papers of Beethoven, Mark Twain, Mozart, and Lord Byron. For some of these great men, love is "a delicious poison" (William Congreve); for others, "a nice soft wife on a sofa with good fire, & books & music" (Charles Darwin). Love can scorch like the heat of the sun (Henry VIII), or penetrate the depths of one's heart like a cooling rain (Flaubert). Every shade of love is here, from the exquisite eloquence of Oscar Wilde and the simple devotion of Robert Browning, to the wonderfully modern misery of the Roman Pliny the Younger, losing himself in work to forget how much he misses his beloved wife, Calpurnia.

Taken together, these letters show that perhaps men haven't changed all that much over the last 2,000 years--passion, jealousy, hope and longing still rule their hearts and minds. In an age of e-mail and texted "i luv u"s, this timeless and unique collection reminds us that nothing can compare to the simple joy of sitting down to read a letter from the one you love.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0312567448
• ISBN13: 9780312567446
• Release Date: November 2008
• Publisher: St. Martin's Press
• Length: 160 Pages
• Weight: 0.62 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 6.2" x 8.6"

Customer Reviews

This is a great read!

This is a very nice book that contains amazing love letters written by famous people in history. I believe it contains most of (if not all) the letters in the book used in the Sex & The City movie. It is simply done in a different format. (Smaller book, prettier cover). I wish that Ursula Doyle would have included love letters from some more recent celebrities. The most recent one mentioned in this book is G. K. Chesterton who lived from 1874-1936. This is an interesting account of how men wrote to their loves in earlier days. I particularly like the one written by Ludwig van Beethoven.

If only

If only real men were like this. But Great ones were and are. What a wonderful idea for a book, beautifully executed with introductions which are illuminating and engrossing. Too often we're guilty (well, me anyway) of assuming that men just can't, don't, won't express themselves in loving, romantic and intimate ways. How wrong we/I are/am. And a Great title.

How can I get my husband to write such letters???

Once I started reading this delightful book, I couldn't put it down. It sheds light on the private lives of such great men as Benjamin Disraeli and Pierre Curie -- who knew they were such romantics? The book made me wish that I live the pre-email era where men actually wrote lengthy, sincere and effusive letters to the women they love. The only downside to this collection is that it sets the bar high (perhaps too high?) for my husband... The only pitfall

Great men, great lovers

Loved the book, very romantic. The introductions were nearly as brilliant as the letters themselves. Great Valentines gift for the man in your life.

ALL THE WORLD LOVES A LOVER

Whether or not you remember the scene in the film Sex and the City in which Carrie read from a book of love letters to Mr. Big doesn't really matter. What is of import is that when Ursula Doyle, formerly deputy editor of Picador, noted the flurry of women looking for the book that did not really exit, she decided to make it happen. Make it happen she did by researching the private papers of a number of famous men and collecting their intimate thoughts on love. It is no surprise that the feelings aroused by love have not changed very much over the centuries. What is surprising and endearing is the expression given to those feelings by some of the most articulate fellows who have ever lived, including such disparate individuals as Mark Twain, Henry VIII, and Roman Pliny the Younger. Reading these letters is one thing, hearing them is quite another matter. If love letters are going to be heard let them always be given voice by noted Shakespearean actor Anton Lesser. His resonant, theatre trained voice easily moves from plaintive entreaty to harsh scolding when a loved one feels he has been neglected. Lesser's readings of letters describing the depth of one's love for another are indeed sigh producing. As is said, all the world loves a lover and all will love this collection. - Gail Cooke