Comments on: The Art of Letter Writing: Stationery

By: Cicero Murdock

Cicero Murdock — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 02:37:17 +0000

I find most of my needs met with correspondence cards and monarch sheets. There’s a store in Augusta, GA that I get mine at. I buy plain 100% cotton sheets in boxes of 50 each, and they can be used for almost any occasion.

By: Swing and a Miss « DarcKnyt

Swing and a Miss « DarcKnyt — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 12:31:11 +0000

[...] The Art of Letter Writing: Stationery (artofmanliness.com) [...]

By: Denis

Denis — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 16:01:53 +0000

The are of letter writing is certainly falling away from society. As Sage said its taking a back seat to technology. Even the quality of email has gone down hill with thoughts and feelings reduced to emoticons and abbreviations, it makes me want to scream WTF! I fell into the habit of modern hieroglyphics for a while but now I’m back to writing proper letters right down to Dear_____ , along with indenting paragraphs. I also write thank you cards and send them out to clients and business associates. In this day and age people rarely get cards or letters let alone a “thankyou”. So I believe it sets me out from the competition. People have been reseptive and I know that even the ones how don’t say so, it means a great deal to them for me to have taken some time to write them. I fighting to bring back some of the fine things in life all while staying tech savvy. So there’s my two cents.

By: The Art of Letter Writing: The Sympathy Note | The Art of Manliness

The Art of Letter Writing: The Sympathy Note | The Art of Manliness — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 19:44:45 +0000

[...] nice stationery. Casual notes can be written on whatever is handy. But the sympathy note requires something nicer. [...]

By: James Clark

James Clark — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 07:41:34 +0000

I wholeheartedly disagree with the notion that style is unimportant. A man may make the suit, but you need a suit to make. It is much easier for a man to make a suit than for a man to make a sweat suit…

Also, I’d like to point out that regarding the letter versus e-mail debate, one must take into account that some of us might have handwriting deficiencies, and that in itself could cause frustrations for the sender and recipient (especially the writer, if you can’t read your own writing on Crane paper…)

A few lessons and a lot of practice in the art of handwriting (tangent: is cursive writing a lost art?) might be in order before placing the order for the stationary…

AND A TIP: if you use a 7 or 9h (drafting) pencil and a ruler, you can make the stationary lined, write on the lines with pen, and then genlty erase the lines. And since you used a 9H pencil, no-one will ever notice. They’ll be in awe of your perfectly straight writing – especially on heavy paper that you could not see through and put a lined paper behind it for shadow lines. anything darker than a 6H and you might be sorry, though – (and be gentle, please).

By: Isaac Arthur

Isaac Arthur — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 03:57:36 +0000

If you’re interested in custom stationery, consider having a set designed specifically for yourself. This can extend out to letterhead, envelope, calling cards and even stickers and stamps — creating a beautiful, cohesive identity system.

If anyone’s interested, I’m a freelance designer and love designing stationery. Check out some of this work and email me at isaacarth@gmail.com if you’re interested in your own stationery set.

http://ica-design.net/index.php?/ongoing/codo-stationery/

http://ica-design.net/index.php?/project/the-mine-stationery/

http://ica-design.net/index.php?/project/skullys-gun-club/

http://ica-design.net/index.php?/ongoing/henry-horse-shoeing/

By: Brad Greenwood

Brad Greenwood — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 20:20:17 +0000

Wow! I was blown away to see my own name as an example!

By: Jonathan Arnold

Jonathan Arnold — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 21:14:28 +0000

Dear Brett & Kate: Great article, and I appreciate the mention of Dempsey & Carroll at the end! We make manly stationery every day. Let me know if you ever need samples or photos! Jonathan

By: Fraz

Fraz — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 02:39:34 +0000

@Ewan While you may technically be correct, in this age of photocopiers and fax machines, I tend to the midnight blue ink just to ensure that my original signature is maintained on documents (particularly legal/contracts). However, I also use black in my day-to-day pen. Naturally, I also use refillable fountain pen(s)!

By: Ewan Pettman

Ewan Pettman — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 22:49:17 +0000

Maybe this is only true in England, but it is never manly to use blue ink on a letter or greeting card. Black ink is for men, blue for ladies. Also, it is really annoying when Yours Faithfully or Yours Sincerely is used under the wrong circumstances–a real sign of carelessness bordering on disrespect.

By: Stan Geronimo

Stan Geronimo — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 16:34:39 +0000

We should rediscover the lost art of writing letters. A gentleman shouldn’t rely too much on electronic copies, don’t you think?

By: Cameron A

Cameron A — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 14:07:13 +0000

First, I would like to say I really enjoyed the article and I’d been thinking about buying some Crane Co. stationary but this article cemented it. I ran out to a fine paper store and bought some thank you notes for much belated Thank You cards and have been writing them non-stop. I can’t get enough of the feel of 100% cotton paper. It accepts ink so smoothly too.
Secondly, I agree with the others that a Man does not need style. There are many men who make themselves more manly in others eyes simply because of their style. If style wasn’t important, then it would have never progressed to the point that it is today.
Thirdly, writing is always an art. You must craft a letter carefully, with purpose, and with a certain flair for your audience otherwise your point is missed and you are dismissed. An even more extreme example is caligraphy. That is a writingstyle that is undeniably an art and has existed for thousands of years. Saying that simply because it is communication it is base and unadvanced is simply wrong. People have fought wars over letters and messages sent improperly. Saying that the internet is a good alternative is completely true, and millions of Americans use the interent. But as you also said, it has created a fallout in the thought that goes behind a letter/email. And it simply has less of a personal touch.

By: Letter Writing & Personalized Stationary | The Art of Manliness | Museum And Art

Sun, 12 Jul 2009 10:06:14 +0000

[...] post:Letter Writing & Personalized Stationary | The Art of Manliness Connect and [...]

By: Sage

Sage — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 01:33:55 +0000

Writing isn’t an art, it’s a means of communication. If it was an art, it would be up there with cooking, photography, architecture, and painting – most of all of which have been considered art throughout history and within every culture in the world.

Before the computer, there was the pencil.
Before the pencil, there was the pen.
Before the pen, there was the brush.
Before the brush, there was the chalk.
Before the chalk, there was the dirt.

Might not be in that exact order, but you get my drift. Communication and the technology used for it changes as time changes. Greater knowledge brings an even greater potentionals for good. There is no reason to fear the computer, for even with typing, you can still communicate in a polite, elegant, and fashionable manner. The manner of communication depends more on culture and upbringing than on the means necessary, though means dose play a role too, for example, the instant gratification of the Internet has the possibility of leading to rushed and poorly thought out e-mails. But a proper upbrining and cultivation of virtue can prevent this!

By: Dan

Dan — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 23:29:39 +0000

While not actually stationary, a favorite of mine for writing love letters on, is the backs of playbills for play that my girlfriend go and see.