The Letters of Stan Laurel

Stan Laurel

If you didn't get enough reading materials over the Christmas holiday then make your way over to one of my favorite websites, Letters From Stan. The Stan in referance is Stan Laurel, half of the comedy team, Laurel and Hardy. Throughout Stan's life he was known to be an avid writer of letters. He wrote to friends, business associates, fans and just about anyone. Stan simply liked to write and over at Letters From Stan they have created an archive of many of the letters he wrote over the years.

When you read through the letters you get a real sense of what kind of man Stan was. One of my favorites is one letter he wrote in 1927, replying to a fan:

Dear Miss Neal;-

Just a line to thank you for your very sweet letter, which is greatly appreciated. I am mailing you under seperate cover, a photograph per your request. Trust you will receive same alright. I am returning herewith the Twenty Five Cents you enclosed, as the amount of my Fan Mail does'nt warrant any charges.
 Thanking you for your kind thoughts & good wishes,
 Very Sincerely yours;-
Stan Laurel

I like this letter because it shows how much he appreciated his fans. Not only was Stan nice enough to reply to this particular fan, but he also returned the money she enclosed. This is just a short letter you will find over at Letters From Stan - there are many, many, letters of all lenghts and topics. I especially like seeing where the letters were addressed from - to see where Stan was living or staying at that the time.

In today's world of emails, text messages and tweets, after reading some of Stan's letters, it really makes one want to put pen to paper.

Your thoughts?