Letters to My Son

Philip Dormer Stanhope, 4th Earl of Chesterfield - an English statesman and publicist. The letters published after his death, "Letters to My Son" - a magnificent example of epistolary prose of the 18th century. These letters were not intended for publication. Having no legitimate children, Chesterfield spent many years writing to his illegitimate son - also Philip Stanhope (the second). In them, Chesterfield provided his son with useful practical advice for a successful high society and state career. The publication of the letters initially shocked contemporaries: their content seemed too candid to many, but subsequently, the letters were repeatedly reissued and became popular reading. They were highly valued by Voltaire as the best of all written about education.