And I have to say, these letters give a lot of insight regarding the life of this historical figure!
For example, I enjoyed reading his early letters to his parents, when he was on tour and his father was essentially showcasing him around various cities in Europe. He had a rather interesting habit: I think he was like me, a morning person. In some of his letters, he gives details of his schedule, and his schedule tends to start rather early!
I also liked the set of letters during the final years of his life. He seemed to not have the proper skills to manage money, so he starts writing letters to his friends, asking them for loans. In the beginning, these letters are more cordial and mild, but they gradually show the desperation he had regarding his lack of money. I cross-checked this with historical records, which seem to suggest that there is a certain level of lying here, where he is suggested to have depicted his situation way more grave than what it actually was, just so that his friends would be convinced to lend him money. I also found out later that his debt was eventually settled later after his death, by his entrepreneurial widow.
Content aside, I also enjoyed reading the German text with the old-style spelling. I had to correct it in my head consistently as I read this book. Capitalisation was still not consistent, unlike today. And there are certain sounds that still was spelled in a very old-fashioned way, so this book was also useful in educating me regarding the evolution of German orthography.
Overall, I think I enjoyed this book. Perhaps it is just for nerds, but I definitely had a good time reading this one. I give it 3 out of 5 stars.
See my other book reviews here.
