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Little, Brown to publish John Lennon’s letters

Yoko Ono, the widow of iconic musician John Lennon, has granted American publisher Little, Brown the rights to produce a volume of her late husband’s letters. The book, titled simply The Lennon Letters, is scheduled to appear in October 2012. The book, which will be arranged in chronological order, is to be edited by Hunter Davies, the British journalist who wrote the authorized biography of the Beatles, according to Reuters.

Jacket Copy, the book blog of the Los Angeles Times, quotes a statement from Little, Brown, which points out that Lennon lived before e-mail, and his letters testify to his particular facility with pen and ink:

He lived “ and died “ in an age before e-mails and texts. Pen and ink were his medium. John wrote letters and postcards all of his life; to his friends, family, strangers, newspapers, organisations, lawyers, and the laundry “ most of which were funny, informative, campaigning, wise, mad, poetic, anguished, and sometimes heartbreaking … many of the letters are reproduced as they were, in his handwriting or typing, plus the odd cartoon or doodle.

Rolling Stone reports:

The book will be comprised of over 150 letters written over the course of Lennon’s life, including notes to record companies and newspapers, several drawings and a letter to an eight-year-old boy. According to Alan Samson of Orion, a majority of the letters and drawings in the book have not been seen by the public.