Table Of Contents:
BOOK I THE BASIC RULES OF SUCCESSFUL LETTER WRITING

Letter Writing as a Social Asset 1(6)

What the ability to write good letters can mean to you

A letter is like a ``visit'' on paper

How letters can enrich life---create more enduring friendships

The busiest people make the best letter writers

Write the letters that don't need to be written

Send personal letters instead of greeting cards whenever you can

If you ``don't Know what to say'' in a letter

Personality in Letter Writing 7(10)

Make your letters sound the way you do!

Visualize the person to whom you are writing

Just write as you speak---that's the whole secret!

Use your customary words and patter

Some easy ways to make your letters sound conversational

Keep your language simple---short words are the best

How to write with greater ease and clarity

People judge you by your letters

Avoid careless remarks that may be misunderstood

Don't write anything you may later regret

The letter everyone loves to receive

The Physical Characteristics of Your Letter 17(8)

The correct stationery for social and personal correspondence

Short notes should be handwritten

Use of the typewriter

The spacing and arrangement of a letter

Sequence of pages and folding the letter

How to avoid mistakes in spelling and grammar

The use of punctuation

The Parts of a Letter 25(18)

The heading

The salutation

The body of the letter

The close

The signature

How to address the envelope
BOOK II YOUR SOCIAL CORRESPONDENCE

The General Rules of Social Correspondence 43(9)

All social correspondence has a specific purpose

The difference between formal and informal correspondence

What you should know about informal correspondence

What you should know about formal correspondence

Dinner Invitations and Acknowledgments 52(17)

Always respond promptly to a dinner invitation

Dinner in honor of a special guest or guests

Dinner to celebrate a special occasion

Dinner followed by concert or opera

Dinner by sons and daughters in honor of parents

How to postpone or cancel formal dinner invitations

How to break a formal dinner engagement

Inviting a friend to fill an empty place at dinner

Informal dinner invitations---and how to answer them

Inviting friends to dinner and the theater

When a daughter acts as hostess

Note to recall an informal dinner invitation

Note to break an informal dinner engagement

Note to an intimate friend recalling a dinner invitation

Note to an intimate friend breaking a dinner engagement

Luncheon and Supper Invitations and Acknowledgments 69(11)

Invitations for simple informal luncheons

Inviting someone you do not know

Supper invitations

Party Invitations and Acknowledgments 80(12)

Card party invitations

For an informal bridge luncheon

For a formal bridge luncheon

For an informal cocktail party

For a formal cocktail party

For an informal tea party

Formal tea parties

Garden party invitations

Invitations for house and week-end parties

Invitations for showers

Invitations for christenings

Dance Invitations and Acknowledgments 92(11)

Debutante dances and dinner dances

Supper dance invitations

How to acknowledge formal dance invitations

Recall or postponement of formal dance invitations

Subscription dances and charity balls

Invitations for informal dances

The friendly note of invitation

Asking an invitation for a relative or friend

Wedding Invitations and Announcements 103(27)

Announcing an engagement

The church wedding

Church admission card

The home wedding

Train and direction cards

Wedding announcements

Enclosing ``at home'' cards with the announcement

Wedding invitations for special and unusual circumstances

Invitation to a double wedding

The bride with one parent

When the bride has no parents

Invitations for a second marriage

When the groom is in the military services

Recalling a wedding invitation

How to acknowledge wedding invitations

The informal wedding invitation written by hand

Bride's note of invitation to a close friend

To a relative

If there has been a recent bereavement

To an old friend of the groom---a stranger to the bride

To a business associate of the groom

Inviting a friend to the reception only

Invitations to wedding anniversaries

Letters of Thanks 130(19)

When and how to acknowledge wedding gifts

To relatives

To intimate friends

To less intimate friends

To a business associate of the groom

To an old classmate of the groom---a stranger to the bride

Shower gifts should be individually acknowledged

Notes of thanks for Christmas gifts

For birthday gifts

For wedding anniversary gifts

For a gift for a newborn baby or young child

For a ``Bon Voyage'' gift

The bread-and-butter letter

Thanks for gifts to a patient or invalid

Thanks for a favor received

Thanks for a letter of condolence

Thanks for a letter of congratulation

On a birthday

On an engagement

On a marriage

On a wedding anniversary

On the birth of a child

On graduating from college

On winning an honor or distinction

Letters of Congratulations 149(9)

Congratulations on an engagement

Congratulations on marriage

Congratulations on a wedding anniversary

Congratulations on a birthday

Congratulations on the birth of a child

Congratulations on graduation

Congratulations on winning an honor or distinction

Congratulations on a promotion or a new venture

Congratulations on a speech or a performance

Letters of Condolence 158(13)

On the death of a parent

On the death of a husband or wife

On the death of a child

On the death of a relative

When death is a release

When someone is killed or commits suicide

Some famous letters of condolence

Notes of Sympathy on Illness, Injury and Material Loss 171(6)

To those who are ill

To those who have been injured

To those who have suffered material loss or damage

Leters of Introduction 177(6)

To be presented in person

To be sent by mail

``Follow-up'' letters of introduction giving additional information

A famous letter of introduction
BOOK III YOUR PERSONAL CORRESPONDENCE

The General Rules of Personal Correspondence 183(3)

Answer every letter promptly---it's easier for you

You don't need literary style to write interesting letters

How long should a letter be?

Friendly Letters 186(15)

How to begin a friendly letter

What to write in a friendly letter

What not to write in a friendly letter

Consider the person to whom you are writing

How to close your letter

Examples of letters to personal friends

Friendly letter from one man to another

Friendly letter from one woman to another

Letters to friends in distant places

Letters from distant places to friends back home

Christmas letter to a friend

Family Letters 201(14)

The ever-welcome letter from home

To a daughter living and working in another city

To a husband away on business

To a married sister living at a distance

Letters to children away at school or camp

Excerpts from letters to children written by famous people

From a bride to her parents on her honeymoon

Letter to a relative who has asked for advice

Love Letters 215(8)

Examples of love letters from women to men

Examples of letters from men to women

Excerpts from the love letters of famous men and women

Postscript on personal letter writing
BOOK IV YOUR BUSINESS AND CLUB CORRESPONDENCE

The General Rules of Business Correspondence 223(16)

The parts of a business letter

The inside address

The salutation

The body of the letter

The complimentary close

The signature

Addressing the envelope

Suggestions for writing more effective business letters

Write your letters from the reader's point of view

Be sure it sounds sincere

Enthusiasm is contagious

Courtesy counts in letter writing, too

How to prejudge the effectiveness of your letter

The Tone and Language of a Good Business Letter 239(9)

Abbreviations in business letters

The opening paragraph

Examples of effective openings for various types of letters

The closing paragraph

Examples of effective closings for various types of letters

The use of postscripts in business letters

The Ten Commandments for writing a good business letter

Examples of Routine Business Letters 248(17)

Letters of order and confirmation

Letters of complaint and adjustment

Letters of inquiry and acknowledgment

Letters about credit

Collection letters

Acknowledging collection letters

Miscellaneous business letters

Letters That Sell 265(7)

Examples of effective sales letters

Letters that sell good will

Letters of Application 272(15)

Don'ts in preparing your letter of application

Examples of good letters of application

Letters of reference

Letters of introduction and reference

Letters requesting information from references

Thank-you letters for help in getting a job

Your Club Correspondence 287(10)

Notification of election to office

Letters of resignation

Requests to speak or entertain at a club

Answers to invitations from clubs

Letter of thanks for speaking or entertaining at a club
BOOK V CHILDREN'S CORRESPONDENCE

The Letters All Children Must Learn to Write 297(9)

Children's thank-you notes for gifts

Children's thank-you notes for hospitality

Children's personal correspondence

Children's Invitations and Acknowledgments 306(5)

Notes of invitation

Notes of acceptance

Notes of regret
Appendix 311

Forms of Address