Dear John

Yesterday's New York Times reported that the New York Public Library had purchased a huge collection of Arthur Schlesinger, Jr.'s "letters," a collection that measures approximately "280 linear feet." It is a vast trove of every thing from travel journals to correspondence to drafts of speeches and it is a fascinating glimpse into the mind of an accomplished historian.

According to the newspaper, about "400 boxes" in the collection contain Schlesinger's personal correspondence with such figures as Lauren Bacall, Art Buchwald and Truman Capote. He was meticulous in his record keeping. Apparently "Schlesinger stapled copies of his responses to letters that he had received."

All of which got me thinking about the lost art of letter writing. For better or worse, there was no Internet in Schlesinger's era and so reviews of plays and restaurants, travel ruminations, advice to peers (the stuff of blogs today) were all recorded in longhand and mailed off to the intended recipients. There was no delete key so things were permanent once they hit the mailbox and unless the recipient tossed the letter into the trash, preserved until the paper crumbled or the ink faded.

I wonder what kind of legacy we electronic writers are leaving behind. Computer disks? Hard drives? Memory sticks? Is the day not far off when the New York Public Library will bid for Philip Roth's computer? And will that computer contain access to all the emails he sent? For that matter are emails worthy of posterity? Are blogs? Does electronic publishing still require print to give it validity?

It's nice to think that blogging gives everyman or woman the opportunity to create a legacy but is that legacy more credible if it is actually printed?

What do you think?