Auld Lang Syne
“To be impossibly blatant…”
"I must tell you about this new idea of mine and how ... you are involved..."
“I feel quite lethal…”
Quick-wittedness, once a staple of clever letter writing, has lately been swamped by symbols.
“We are pleasantly reminded…”
Customer service, now an online staple, was once a person-to-person affair.
“You cannot see?”
The deepest of feelings between lovers can sometimes remain hidden until it's too late.
“Us pore geezers…”
In June 1918, U.S. Marines changed World War I, and American military history.
“Ah, notoriety!…”
Curzio Malaparte had no trouble crowing aloud to a fellow writer.
“A correct understanding…”
J.P. Morgan, Jr. was an early example of a media-savvy American banker.
“Mass media upset the rhythm”
Eugenio Montale was hard to get to, and then worried about coming out 'a winner.'
“No divorce; no adultery…”
When Enzo Ferrari made a request, it was really an order, something media ignored.
Queen, please help
When an eight-year-old writes to the lady in charge of England, he has a plan.
“Probably over the mark”/”Make up yr. mind”
Thanks to a ruthless intermediary, a fragmented Eliot poem became a masterpiece.
“Shoot the Works”
Teddy White to a fellow journalist: "How's this for an idea..."
Handwritten and typed letters are disappearing. The “Auld Lang Syne” column is an effort to gather letters, notes, telegrams and other items sent via mail, most culled from the archives of the magazine’s writers. These included personal and business correspondence and other tidbits that help reflect a time when nothing was instant, especially replies, and stamps mattered.