Wonderful reading and equally interesting interview with Ben et al.
Thanks for posting the two videos Lola Red.
I love writing letters. And receiving them.
One of my most favourite memories is of the letters my husband got when he was researching his first book. Part of the research involved corresponding with a few (a very select few) WWI pilots (this occurred on or about 1984-5) who had known (and flown) with Canadian WWI hero Billy Bishop (who was the subject of Dan's book).
One, whose name was Roger Neville, was the pilot to Bishop when he was a young observer in a two seater in the Royal Flying Corp. Roger wrote Dan several times and it was totally exciting getting his letters.
I was a bit better at reading his handwriting than Dan so I helped "translate" them for him. Roger was an ace pilot himself (and was awarded Military Cross) and a complete gentleman in his letters to Dan - friendly, conversational, funny and completely open to all questions that Dan had. We still have those delicate onion-skin pages sent "air-mail" by him, stored lovingly away in Dan's treasures. Neville passed away in 1986 but was still taking his "holiday on the continent" when he corresponded with Dan - full of life even at his advanced years. It was a complete pleasure to have been what it seemed like, personally aquainted with him, through his letters to us.
Like it was discussed in the interview portion of these videos - letters offer us a more intimate glimpse into someone's personality because you can hold in your hands on to the moments that they dedicated solely to you when they sat down to correspond with you. It is the time consumed and the effort they made to (as Ben said) go from mind to hand to paper. A very special way of communicating for sure.
-Val
