Although there are many fascinating stories and events depicted in the content of letters, legal documents, ledgers and manuscripts, sometimes the physical nature of the record will enlighten readers about the origin of the document, its use, or give clues to or about the author. So, it can be interesting to take a closer look […]
Tag: correspondence
Surviving Emotions
One of the best things about working with archives is finding records that give a real sense of the personality of the writer. There are many examples of this throughout the John Murray Archive, an archive that spans over two hundred years. The letters written to the successive heads of the publishing house regularly take a personal […]
Christmas Correspondence
For some people, this may be a little early to be posting about Christmas. We are not long in to December after all. But since the Christmas trees, tinsel and twinkly lights seem to be going up here in Edinburgh (where the National Library of Scotland archive offices are based), it seemed natural to keep […]
Dear World, How Are You?
How do you begin to write a letter to every country in the world? What kind of replies would you get? And how do you undertake such a challenge when you are only five years old?
When the Office Went to War : War Letters from Men of the Great Western Railway
A recent arrival into the Library’s collections gives us a rare insight into soldiers’ experiences in the First World War. ‘When the Office Went to War’ contains letters between colleagues from the Great Western Railway Audit Office. It is suggested that these letters between colleagues are often more honest and open than those which were […]
Love letters of the Great War
In December 1914, the largest wooden structure in the world was erected within London’s Regent’s Park by the Post Office. This was the London Home Depot, where bags of mail for troops on the Western Front were sorted. The efficient delivery of letters and parcels to serving soldiers was given high priority. Edited by Mandy […]