One Hundred Ways to Say Thank You Book

For those who find themselves tongue-tied when it comes to saying thank you, the prospect of 100 alternatives to choose from may seem overwhelming. This book, however, is not a user's guide in the strictest sense but rather a collection of historical correspondence that gives an insight into the changing ways humans have expressed their feelings through the centuries. One also gets the feeling that saying thank you today is no longer accorded quite the same respect and attention it was once given: "Thank you five hundred and forty times for the exquisite piece of workmanship which was brought into the room this morning, while we were at breakfast," wrote Jane Austen to her sister in 1813. The selection of quotes in One Hundred Ways to say Thank You is divided into nine sections, which includes gratitude for gifts, food, people, and nature; occasionally the thanks expressed become almost unbearably enthusiastic, even for a monarch--"My dearly beloved Uncle, your kind and dear letter, containing most wholesome, prudent, sound and excellent advice was given me by our good and invaluable honest friend, Stockmar, and I beg you to accept my thanks for it"--Queen Victoria to King Leopold. Arguably the most enjoyable section is that concerned with formulating the ultimate snub, from Lewis Carroll's restrained reply to a child who found Alice in Wonderland uninteresting to the Elizabethan playwright John Lyly's succinct "I thank you for nothing"--food for thought for anyone who seeks a more unusual way to express their thanks. --Susannah SteelRead More