Envelopes: A Puzzling Journey Through the Royal Mail

by Harriet Russell

Embark on a puzzling journey through the Royal Mail

Open this book, and you will discover a most curious and diverting collection of decorated envelopes, all of which have been sent though the United Kingdom’s Royal Mail system.

In Envelopes, Harriet Russell has created a wealth of different ways of communicating an address: mazes, join the dots, anagrams, illustrations, puns, visual games, experimental fonts, puzzles, and literary wordplay.

You may find it hard to believe that the majority of envelopes arrived at their intended destinations, but they did, and all have postmarks to prove it! Their safe delivery is a tribute to the heroic postal employees who rose to the challenge.

Genres: Art, Nonfiction, Art Design, Humor

96 pages, Hardcover

First published November 1, 2005

Reviews

[Caroline]

As some of you know, I have been a member of flickr for many years. A group of us there are enthusiastic about snail mail, and we send one another 'flying letters' - little packages of paintings, collages and writing, often posted in decorated envelopes. We call this mail 'flying letters' because most of us live in different countries, and the mail is sent via airmail.

So, it was with great enthusiasm that I approached this book by Harriet Russell, an artist who sends letters to herself in extremely weird and wonderful envelopes. My estimation of the Royal Mail sorting office has zoomed up. Some of these envelopes were seriously challenging to make sense of. But what a pleasure.....the artist in you, the detective in you, cannot fail to be delighted.

Herewith a few examples of her crazy and joyous envelopes...










There is in the front of the book a note from the post office, requesting that envelopes - however creative - be easily comprehensible. I think Ms Russell got away with such extreme conundrums because - after a while - all the posties in her area knew who she was and where she lived.

Next time you are writing to a friend via snail mail, why not take inspiration from some of these fabulous creations, and turn a boring old envelope into a small-scale festival? There is nothing nicer than looking at one's doormat and seeing, amid the gunk of bills and junk mail, a lovely artwork twinkling at your feet. May this wonderful book inspire us all :O)

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A flickr group celebrating flying letters...

https://www.flickr.com/groups/6979861...

A wonderful collection of old illustrated envelopes on Google...

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=ill...

[Allie]

This hit so many things I love. Mail, puzzles, drawing, wordplay, silliness, etc. Harriet Russell is a really talented artist, and an equally talented trickster. Can you imagine working at the post office when this letter came through?

If it had been me, I would have flipped out with happiness. Highly recommended for people who like puzzles, wordplay, art, or mail!

[Susann]

Purchased and read in London. There's no plot here. The author just shows us her experiments with the U.K.'s Royal Mail service. Over a period of years, Russell dreamed up more and more outlandish ways to address her envelopes. (One of the more priceless examples is her crossword puzzle that a postal worker had to solve in order to determine the address.)

People who froth at the sight of a hand-addressed envelope sticking out of their mailbox (yes, that would be me) will enjoy this little book. And everyone will marvel at the willingness of the Royal Mail to actually decipher and deliver these letters. [The book does come with a Royal Mail request to please not re-create these experiments.:]

[Katie]

Really creative, one of a kind.
A must read!

[Kirsty]

A coffee table type book to bring a little joy and mischief to your life. I bet the post office just loves those letters 🤣

[Kate]

just delicious

[Beth Voecks]

Envelops were cool but I guess I've been ruined by the Griffin and Sabine books that I just wasn't as thrilled with this book. Oh well.

[Dave Farrance]

A delightful little book with some very amusing little envelopes that the artist sent through the mail from various locations to see if she could persuade the mail system to enjoy her little puzzles.
So cute.

[cantread26]

super fun to flip through and see all of the creative ways Russell came up with to encode an address

[Daisy Burnard]

Entertaining, good for family or friends to laugh at together.

[Amanda]

something about 2008

[Jo Starr]

I love anything paper and snail mail is no exception. Fascinating experiment that almost makes me want to try it too!

[Laden Siguis]

Artistic and fun flip of pages.

[Nick Davies]

A book which I read a small review for in The Metro newspaper a few years ago, and put on my wish-list as I thought it sounded interesting. I'd forgotten about it by the time I received it as a gift recently, but it made a pleasant half-hour read - the author/artist choosing to make a 'game' of sending cryptic and/or incompletely addressed envelopes to herself. Some of it was beautiful in an arty sense, but I couldn't escape the fact in a real sense this was a woman gaining pleasure and notoriety from causing extra work and annoyance for Post Office staff.

[Garci]

Another terrific book for mail art enthusiasts and fans of snail mail. This book was entertaining; the author seemed to never run out of clever ways to decorate and address an envelope. I can't believe that many of them were even delivered (but they were mailed and delivered in the U.K., through the Royal Mail Post service); in the U.S., I'm sure most would have been "returned to sender!"

[Eva Tarida]

I once noticed this book from one of soc-med forum.
It told about how those British postman figured out the address from such puzzled writings :)
And, unfortunately I still Can NOT find this book anywhere around me. :(
Bad..
Tho, I read all the reviews were awesome, and make me more eager to search this book.
:)

[Sarah]

Cute and well-executed art project. My only quibble is that I wish she'd given a bit more context to some of the envelopes with snippets of explanatory text.

I'm quite impressed by the Royal Mail's ability and desire to decipher her directions and deliver the letters to their intended destinations. I have a feeling if she'd tried this in the US it would've been a very different story!

[Molly]

This was a really interesting concept- how bizarre-ly can you address a letter and have it still reach its destination. Some of the designs are really clever, and some are really well-made. But it's not much of a read- and after awhile, it gets a bit old.

[Kathleen]

a delightful bit of British can-do. Not much to read but you can look at it over and over again and always see something new.

[Olivia Arrow]

Excellent! I love love love the whole concept, the art, everything.

[Tim]

Great idea and lovely illustrations. Took me a while to realise that the front cover is also postmarked!

[Douglas]

This book was a DELIGHT. Ms Russell has a fun approach to getting mail to friends.

[RW Press]

I love these bizarre true stories. A great look into Harriet Russell's inspiring envelope adventures with the Royal Mail.

[Iamreddave]

Great fun book. Playful and artistic and charming.