From Roman times until the twentieth century, much of the administration of England was carried out through sending letters. In this richly researched and illustrated volume, Philip Beale gives an insight into the use of letters at a time when few could write yet the power of the letter was undisputed.

The first major socio-cultural study of manuscript letters and letter-writing practices in early modern England. Daybell examines a crucial period in the development of the English vernacular letter before Charles I's postal reforms in 1635, one that witnessed a significant extension of letter-writing skills throughout society.

"The three little books making up this volume were originally published in England in 1919, 1920, and 1921, under the respective titles of 'How we went into the war, ' 'How we got on with the war, ' and 'How we came out of the war.'--Pref." Bibliography: p. 379.