Have You Written Any Letters Lately?

Last night I was reading the letters of Dashiell Hammett. They're funny, breezy, and chatty. He wrote them on the antique known as a typewriter.

I got the sense that he was a proud, sad, and loving family man. Then I wondered if letters are still written and sent. When did I last write or send a letter? I don't remember.

Email, texting, IM, Facebook, etc. have destroyed the art. Plus emails and letters are apples and oranges to me. Letters, such as Mr. Hammett's, seem more personal and intimate. I just can't envision The Selected Emails and Tweets of Dashiell Hammett (if he'd lived until now).

But then some emails are written in the style letters used to be. I know I send emails that open with "Dear Such-and-Such" and end "Sincerely, Ed Lynskey." Is that quaint old school? We can only hope that civility never goes out of style.