The Gift Guide
Gifts for history lovers
An honest guide to giving mail from the past, for the person who has already read everything.
The Trouble
History lovers are hard to shop for
They are wonderful to talk to and nearly impossible to buy for. The biography you are considering, they own. The documentary, they have seen twice. Another mug with a quotation on it will be received kindly and shelved. What do you give the person whose whole shelf is already full of the past?
You give them mail from it. Historical Pen Pals sends real handwritten letters from historical figures: composed in the figure's documented voice, personalized with what you tell us about the recipient, written out in real ink, and mailed in a stamped envelope to their door.
The Gift
A five-letter correspondence, $39
You pick the figure, or let them choose, tell us a little about the person, and add a gift message if you like. You receive a printable gift certificate the moment you order, so there is something beautiful to hand them on the day. When the gift is opened and the mailing address confirmed, by them or by you on their behalf, the first letter is composed, reviewed and refined by a real person, handwritten in ink, and usually in their mailbox within 7 to 10 days. Four more follow over the coming months.
What makes it a good gift is what it does not ask of them. There is nothing to set up, schedule, cancel, or feel obliged about. Inside each envelope, along with the letter, is a simple way to write back, and whatever they write is read and answered in the next letter, so it becomes a real back-and-forth about their own life. If they never pick up a pen, the letters still come. When the five are done, it can continue five at a time, in their own name, for as long as they like.
A Few Matches
Pairing the person with the pen pal
For your mother, who keeps every card anyone has ever sent her
Jane Austen, warm and wickedly observant about the neighbors.
For the grandmother who taught you cursive
Eleanor Roosevelt, who writes as if the busiest woman in the world just sat down to give her full attention.
For the friend halfway through another Lincoln biography
Abraham Lincoln himself, thoughtful, grounded, and dryly funny.
For the retired engineer
Leonardo da Vinci, who cannot describe a cloud without wondering how it works.
For the one who quotes the Stoics
Marcus Aurelius, brief, blunt, and worth reading twice.
For the scientist of the family
Marie Curie, exacting about the work and gentle about everything else.
The full roster runs to some seventy figures. Browse it and the right match tends to announce itself.
FAQ
Common questions
What exactly am I giving?↓
A five-letter correspondence with a historical figure, $39, postage included. Five handwritten letters arrive over a few months, and every reply the recipient sends is read and answered in the next one. If they never write back, the letters still come; if they love it, it can continue in their own name when the five are done.
Does the recipient have to do anything?↓
Almost nothing. When the gift is opened, they (or you, on their behalf) confirm the mailing address, and from there the first letter is written and mailed to their door. Each letter includes a simple way to write back, and whether they do is entirely up to them; the letters come either way.
Can I include a gift message, or send it anonymously?↓
Yes to both. You can add a personal gift message when you order, sign your name to the surprise, or keep the sender a mystery entirely.
How long does delivery take?↓
You receive a printable gift certificate the moment you order, so you can buy any time before the occasion and hand the certificate over on the day. Once the gift is opened and the mailing address confirmed, the first letter usually arrives within 7 to 10 days.
What happens if they write back?↓
Their pen pal answers them in the next letter. Every letter arrives with simple reply instructions, online or by mail, and whatever they write is read and carried forward. When the five letters are done, there is an easy way to continue if they want to.
What does the letter actually look like?↓
A real letter: handwritten in ink on quality paper, sealed in a stamped envelope addressed to them. Nothing is printed to imitate handwriting, which is why people tend to keep them.
Give them a pen pal from history
$39. Five letters from history, mailed to someone you love, every reply answered. Nothing for them to do but open the first one.
Is each letter written by a person or by AI? A bit of both, and we're glad to be clear about it. Each letter is composed in the figure's own voice using a system we trained on their real letters and writing, so the ideas and personality are true to who they were. Then a real person reviews and refines every letter before it goes out. The result is original and personal, never pulled off a shelf.