Letters to My Son

Philip Dormer Stanhope, 4th Earl of Chesterfield, was an English statesman and publicist. The letters published after his death, "Letters to My Son," are a magnificent example of epistolary prose from the 18th century. These letters were not intended for... publication. Without legitimate children, Chesterfield wrote for many years to his illegitimate son — also Philip Stanhope (the second). In them, Chesterfield provided his son with useful practical advice for a successful life in high society and a career in public service. The publication of the letters initially shocked contemporaries: their content appeared too frank to many, but subsequently, the letters were reissued multiple times and became popular reading. They were highly regarded by Voltaire as the best writing on education.