This volume considers the origins of the love letter and the passion for writing it during the 18th and 19th centuries. It examines the conditions for writing and reading love letters, and their modalities and techniques, which led to the development of a unique culture of love letters in day-to-day communication and in their corresponding artistic and literary forms. Both well-known exchanges of letters and others that have until now been largely untapped document the creation of an emphatic model of love and private life. The work thus provides valuable insights into the cultural practice of documenting feelings.