Lord Chesterfield wrote these letters to his illegitimate son, Philip Stanhope, from the boy's travels in Europe to his years as a diplomat. They are part of a long correspondence in which the father offers advice on how to succeed in the world: how to speak and write well, how to behave in company, how to study languages and history, and how to acquire the charm and ease he called the Graces. The letters are not a formal treatise but a series of vivid, often witty dispatches from a man who knew the courts and drawing rooms of eighteenth-century Europe. Readers who enjoy letters, memoirs, and practical wisdom will find much to admire here. Chesterfield is by turns affectionate, impatient, and severe, and his advice ranges from the lofty to the minute. The collection offers a window into a lost world of aristocratic ambition and also raises questions that still matter: What is the value of good manners? Can social skills be learned? How much should a parent shape a child's character? This edition contains the letters as published, from 1746 to 1768, with a few later letters to Philip's widow and sons, a new introduction for first-time readers, a guide to key ideas, a summary of the book, an exploration of its themes, a glossary of period words and phrases, and a set of discussion questions for readers, students, and book clubs.
