Letters of E.B. White
White, E. B. Letters of E. B. White. 2006. (B White.E White.E)
If you came to appreciate him via Charlotte's Web, or his classic New Yorker pieces--or via The Elements of Style, co-authored with his former teacher William Strunk--you'll probably enjoy E. B. White's personal letters too. His correspondence was as witty and stylish as his published work. Every few weeks, on average, he'd write at length to an editor or family member, clacking away on a battered Smith-Corona, seldom rewriting. You can almost hear the voice behind the words--a smiling and jaunty voice, but often with an amusing edge of suspicion or self-doubt. It's a New Yorker-esque voice. Many writers have admired and emulated him. But some find him too cozy or innocent: see this New York Times review by Roy Blount, Jr. (Jeff B., Reader's Services)
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