I found this letter-writing handbook in the boxes of books of my grandmother’s (amidst dozens of “good manners” books), and it’s an amazing read, not only because it is wonderfully outdated, but also because it was clearly written for an aristocratic public (or one that wanted to feel aristocratic?). Several of the return addresses in the template letters are to French castles—and there are lots of helpful templates for every situation you might encounter in your daily life, such as:
1. Asking Prince Napoléon to be your daughter’s godfather:
2. Writing a recommendation letter for little orphan girls:
3. Addressing your condolences to a friend who just lost her fortune:
4. Writing about your statue which is about to be erected:
5. Writing to a friend whose scheming talent you need to arrange a marriage:
There is a template letter for asking a father for his daughter’s hand in marriage, the second paragraph of which starts with “My notary is at your disposal to provide you with exact information regarding the state of my fortune”:
There are also template letters for more ordinary people and situations.
6. How to write to a lady if you are a servant girl:
7. How to announce the creation of a new corset if you are a dressmaker:
8. How to properly thank a friend for writing you a volume of poetry:
9. Quoting word for word: ‘How to end a letter in which one indulged in grim and austere considerations’
10. Ditto: ‘How to end a discouraged letter’: “I would ask you, sir, to preserve me your friendship which I would like to secure as I give up on everything else.”
amandla
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