| Acknowledgments |
page vii |
| Prologue |
ix |
| |
| Part I LETTER MANUALS AND EIGHTEENTH-CENTURY LETTERACY |
|
| Introduction |
3 |
| 1 |
Empire of letters |
9 |
|
Education for the post |
9 |
|
Letter manuals' target audiences |
20 |
|
Representing the household-family |
37 |
|
Familiar letters and everyday conversation |
42 |
| |
| 2 |
Manual architectonics |
54 |
|
Letter classes |
55 |
|
The paradox of politeness |
63 |
|
Proper sentiments and proper conduct |
69 |
|
The letter as composition and conversation |
74 |
|
Responsive reading |
80 |
|
The letter as writing and vocalized speech |
89 |
|
Imitation for reader-writers |
94 |
| |
| Part II LETTER MANUALS IN BRITAIN AND AMERICA |
|
| Introduction |
105 |
| 3 |
“Secretaries” at the turn of the eighteenth century |
110 |
|
London: The Young Secretary's Guide |
110 |
|
Boston: Bartholomew Green's Young Secretary's Guide |
124 |
|
London: Thomas Goodman's Experienc'd Secretary |
129 |
|
Boston: The Young Secretary's Guide, or Experienc'd Secretary by “Thomas Hill” |
135 |
|
New York and Philadelphia: the Bradfords' Secretary's Guide, Or Young Man's Companion |
140 |
| |
| 4 |
The “Complete Letter-Writers” of the middle years |
151 |
|
London: Crowder's Complete Letter-Writer, or Polite English Secretary |
152 |
|
Glasgow: Dilworth's Complete Letter-Writer, or Young Secretary's Instructor |
170 |
|
New York: Dilworth's Complete Letter-Writer, or Young Secretary's Instructor |
178 |
|
Philadelphia: McCulloch's American Letter-Writer |
181 |
|
Instructors and Academies of Compliments |
185 |
| |
| 5 |
The “Art of Correspondence,” 1790–1820 |
194 |
|
London: Cooke's Universal Letter-Writer; or New Art of Polite Correspondence |
197 |
|
“US Booksellers”: Cook's New and Complete Letter-Writer, or New Art of Polite Correspondence |
210 |
|
Philadelphia: Hogan's New Universal Letter-Writer, or Complete Art of Polite Correspondence |
213 |
| |
| Part III SECRECY AND THE TRANSATLANTIC CULTURE OF LETTERS |
|
| Introduction |
225 |
| 6 |
Public and hidden transcripts |
229 |
|
Government by post |
229 |
|
The transatlantic scene of writing |
236 |
|
Transatlantic epistolary practices |
254 |
|
Secret writing |
264 |
| 7 |
From Crevecoeur to Franklin and Mr. Spectator |
274 |
|
Crevecoeur's first letter |
275 |
|
The Spectator letters |
287 |
|
Benjamin Franklin's secret letter to his son |
302 |
|
Afterword |
313 |
| |
| Bibliography |
316 |
| Index |
341 |
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