One inspiration leads to another . . . Book Review

Passionate Love Letters: An Anthology of Desire
Author: Michelle Lovric
Format: Hardcover, 49pp.
ISBN: 1573355348
Publisher: Shooting Star Press
Pub. Date: December 1996

From the Publisher:

Love Letters was conceived during research in the Manuscript Room of the British Library. The pleasures of handling fragile and beautiful 18th-century love letters inspired the idea of reproducing that very touching and personal experience for a wider audience. To create the book, the originals of significant love letters were tracked down and photographed in museums and libraries all over the world. How to Write Love Letters, the first-follow-up title, was published for Valentine's Day, 1996. And now the eagerly awaited third book, in the same format as Love Letters, is available. Passionate Love Letters, An Anthology of Desire provides the same irresistible combination of history, beauty and romance - but this time with an exploration of some of the deeper passions that love can inspire.

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Review:

This book, at best, can be described as a complete work of art. Michelle Lovric’s ability to combine bits of history in the midst of beautifully decorated pages and artwork shows true talent for researching capabilities and creativity as a graphic artist.

A book such as Passionate Love Letters: An Anthology of Desire is truly an inspiration to admirers of both art and written word. Each letter in this text is presented in its author’s original hand. That, coupled with elegant stationary sets creates an unequaled quality of workmanship. Each page also contains excerpts from more love letters and bits of poetry along with author credit presented in a wide variety of beautiful fonts.

Learning the romantic history of such icons as Elizabeth Barrett Browning and Nathaniel Hawthorne is quite and adventurous pursuit when given the opportunity to read their words written by their hands. Letters of such style and grace should be nowhere else than in an anthology such as this one.

In an effort to maintain readability, the author included a section in the back of the book for Facsimile Transcripts for each letter. Some of the handwriting is difficult to discern, so a resource like this one proves invaluable. Letter subjects ranging from Worshiping to Nostalgia section off the book itself. Though a relatively short work, each page overflows with imagination prompting more turns of the page.

Romantics are not the only people who can revel in this beautiful bit of history, those in search of meaning and inspiration can benefit as well. Not only would this make a wonderful gift for those who would show such appreciation, but this anthology is also a wonderful resource. I bought this book because I am a romantic at heart and I love reading history through the eyes of the beholder. I am also in the midst of creating something similar for my son: Letters From Mom: A Life’s Collection to give to him when he is older. This anthology is the closest I could find to what I am aiming to complete.

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