In 1985, a library in Holland banned one of Charles Bukowski's books: Tales of Ordinary Madness.
The library officials said the work was "very sadistic, occasionally fascist and discriminatory against certain groups (including homosexuals)."

Bukowski responded with this brilliant letter, featured today on Letters of Note:

In my work, as a writer, I only photograph, in words, what I see.

Above, a rare letter by Walt Disney, featured on Letters of Note, a neat blog that gathers and sorts fascinating letters, postcards, telegrams, faxes, and memos. Shaun Usher, the guy who runs Letters of Note, wants to produce a book. — Read the rest

97 writers sent letters in 1971 to celebrate the opening of the new library in Troy, MI., including Isaac Asimov, who had this to say: "Congratulations on the new library, because it isn't just a library. It is a space ship that will take you to the farthest reaches of the Universe, a time machine that will take you to the far past and the far future, a teacher that knows more than any human being, a friend that will amuse you and console you—and most of all, a gateway, to a better and happier and more useful life." — Read the rest

From Letters of Note, via The Happiness Project.

Another gem from Letters of Note: Hunter S Thompson gets mad at artist/collaborator Ralph Steadman for sending cartoons of Thompson to Jann Wenner at Rolling Stone. Steadman replies: "Don't get pompous with me. I am not one of your goddamn sycophants." — Read the rest

Locus carried an early reference to "steampunk," in a 1987 letter from K.W. Jeter:

Dear Locus:

Enclosed is a copy of my 1979 novel Morlock Night; I'd appreciate your being so good as to route it to Faren Miller, as it's a prime piece of evidence in the great debate as to who in "the Powers/Blaylock/Jeter fantasy triumvirate" was writing in the "gonzo-historical manner" first.

In 1976, a 17-year-old Tim Burton sent a hand-drawn manuscript for a children's book called "The Giant Zlig" to Walt Disney Productions, hoping for a publishing deal. They rejected the manuscript, but they still hired him a few years later, after he had graduated from CalArts and been out in the field for a few years. — Read the rest

Marylin Terrell writes in:

The product marketing manager for Campbell Soup wrote this delightfully jargon-free letter to Andy Warhol in 1964 after Warhol rocked the art world with his silk-screen portraits of Campbell Soup. Instead of threatening to sue for copyright infringement, the exec sent Warhol a couple of cases of tomato soup.

Letters of Note presents the Tiger Oil Memos. Thank goodness someone had the foresight to save them.

From the offices of the now-defunct but at one time Houston-based Tiger Oil Company come a total of 22 enormously entertaining memos; all sent by, or on behalf of, the firm's incredibly amusing, painfully tactless, and seemingly constantly angry CEO – Edward 'Tiger Mike' Davis – to his staff.

Above, a letter written by Arthur C. Clarke in 1956 predicting, quite accurately, aspects of the future of communications.

Link [via Letters of Note via dvice]

The wonderful "Letters of Note" blog has this gem of a letter, written in 1905 by Mark Twain to a fraudulent medicine salesman.

Nov. 20. 1905

J. H. Todd 

1212 Webster St.

San Francisco, Cal.

Dear Sir,

Your letter is an insoluble puzzle to me.

Handwritten letter by Ren & Stimpy creator John Kricfalusi to then-14-year-old aspiring cartoonist Amir Avni is revealed as ne plus ultra of fan correspondence. What a cool guy. Read: "Your pal, John K" (via Ehrich Blackhound)

Jason sez, "A beautiful entry at the Letters Of Note website detailing a card sent to the Woomera Rocket Range in Australia, 1957, by a little boy named Dean Cox. Dean provided the rocket scientists a helping hand with future space craft design offering his concept of a Rolls Royce Jet Engined-powered two man vehicle- but beyond that, the scientists would have to "put in other details". — Read the rest

Letters of Note is a fantastic blog: "Letters of Note is an attempt to gather and sort fascinating letters, postcards, telegrams, faxes, and memos. Scans/photos where possible. Fakes will be sneered at. Updated 2-3 times every weekday."