Book

Letters of Note by Shaun Usher

Several months ago, to fulfil that mid-20s, Aussies-in-London generational rite of passage, my partner and I moved to the UK. We stored and culled our belongings and I wheedled him into agreeing to bring a pile of books. Letters of Note by Shaun Usher made the cut.

Originally (and still) a website, it's a compendium of fascinating letters throughout history, and the best kind of coffee-table book: something to dip in and out of for years, with bite-sized pieces of correspondence or heartier missives to tuck into.

The collection is rich in history, humour and heartbreak. There are SOS telegrams from the sinking Titanic, and Francis Crick describing the discovery of DNA to his son. Mario Puzo wrote to Marlon Brando to tell him about his then moderately well-known book, The Godfather; Queen Elizabeth II shared her recipe for drop scones with President Eisenhower. A personal favourite is a 1000-year-old Chinese letter template that hungover officials used to apologise to dinner hosts.