Eight or Nine Wise Words about Letter-Writing

"Eight or Nine Wise Words about Letter-Writing" by Lewis Carroll is a practical guide on the art of writing letters, published in the late 19th century. The book is an instruction manual focused on letter composition, covering everything from starting and organizing a letter to concluding it effectively. Carroll employs his signature wit and whimsical style to impart advice, making his insights both entertaining and educational. In this brief yet insightful book, Carroll breaks down the components of letter-writing into clear sections. He provides tips on beginning letters with proper greetings, maintaining legible handwriting, and the importance of addressing people's names correctly. He humorously advises readers not to overapologize for delays and suggests using quotes from previous correspondence for clarity. Additionally, Carroll offers etiquette on closing letters, emphasizing how to match the tone of the ending with that of previous exchanges. His humorous anecdotes and clever rules present letter-writing as not just a task but an enjoyable form of communication, encouraging readers to cultivate their correspondence skills. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, better known by his pen name Lewis Carroll, was an English author, poet, mathematician, photographer and Anglican deacon. His most notable works are Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (1865) and its sequel Through the Looking-Glass (1871). He was noted for his facility with word play, logic, and fantasy. His poems Jabberwocky (1871) and The Hunting of the Snark (1876) are classified in the genre of literary nonsense. Some of Alice's nonsensical wonderland logic reflects his published work on mathematical logic.