Description: "The history and material culture of letterlocking, a forgotten document security practice that fell out of use with the invention of gummed envelopes"--Provided by publisher.
Review Quotes: "Excellent... This book is not only for academics: Step-by-step diagrams provide a how-to for those looking to lock their own letters. Pass a note to a friend, or foe, in one neat package."
--The Wall Street Journal
--Fine Books & Collections "Letterlocking is a meticulously researched and excellent piece of scholarship, which provides the first comprehensive analysis of the field of letterlocking. It is a very handsome volume that is both engaging and well-written."
--Review of English Studies "[A] truly monumental research effort... Incredible breadth and quality of work."
--Journal of the American Institute for Conservation "The authors give a masterly analysis of the many methods used in letterlocking... This fascinating history is beautifully illustrated and includes a DIY section for present-day emulators."
--The Times Literary Supplement "A remarkable, analytical survey of the astonishing variety of techniques devised, from the Middle Ages to the present day, to render epistolary communications secure."
--The Seventeenth Century "This book is a real labor of love, created alongside a fantastic website by a team of conservators, palaeographers, literary scholars, historians, publishers, book artists, imaging experts, engineers, and scientists who are interested in the historical practice of letterlocking with a view to ensuring letters are preserved and conserved properly and studied to reveal the secrets hidden in their folds."
--Archives and Records "Letterlocking is a monumental publication from two scholars who have pioneered the field over the past decade. Its high production value, interactivity, and cross-media supporting resources combine with rigorous scholarly research to result in a pivotal work that is invaluable to scholars interested in epistolary history."
--Voltaire Foundation