Looking for a short story about two people who wrote letters to each in violation of the law, from the 50s(?)

[Steves]

Hello, new registrant here ( I'm happy to have found you all!).

I am looking for a short story in a pocket paperback collection from the 50s ( if I recall correctly).

The story is about a boy and a girl (man and a woman?) who started writing letters to each other and the authorities investigated, as it was illegal.

I loaned the paperback out some years ago, the nineties, and the borrower moved and the book...it never came back (lesson learned),

For the life of me I cannot recall any more, any help is most appreciated.

Thank you, Steves

 

[PaulMmn]

By any chance was there reference to a mail handling machine called "pink wastebasket?"

 

[Steves]

Hi PaulMmn,

Geez...I wish I could remember more, the story has stuck with me in its most skeletal form.

As I dredged around in my memory it seems the paperback, regardless where the story has appeared elsewhere, had a yellow(ish) cover and red dyed paper edges - which makes it most likely a true "Pocket Book."

Partly why it has stuck with me is that one...and only one...very long-time friend and I write back and forth by postal mail. We might be some of the last?

I sure appreciate any dredging and thinking you and anybody else are doing on my behalf.

Thank you!

Steves

 

[PaulMmn]

The story with the 'pink wastebasket' was in ANALOG magazine. Several decades ago. The gist of the story was this man who wrote and sent a letter to the love of his life (not sure if she realized it or not). The automated mail system couldn't handle his hand-written letter, and kept sending the letter to more and more sophisticated machines, culminating in 'pink wastebasket,' which had a nervous breakdown (as machines are wont to do). He was brought in and asked why he did it. Love (?) was the answer. The machines couldn't handle the hand-written letter, because all they dealt with was machine-written and coded addresses on advertisements and such.

 

[johnnyjet]

"The Last Letter" by Fritz Leiber

I'm not sure if it's been collected. I'll have to check that out.

 

[johnnyjet]

"The Last Letter" was published in the June 1956 issue of Galaxy Magazine. Not sure what anthologies or collections it was in.

 

[Steves]

Hi all,

This might be it!

From all of your help I looked it up on Project Gutenberg, and a couple of other places.

It was also in Analog magazine in June 1958 according to Project Gutenberg. In my case, I know it was not Galaxy or Analog...because it certainly was a paperback from roughly that era where I read it.

Thank you all for your help.

Now I just need to find the book...sometimes these searches take years. On another front, I just collected the final volumes of a series I started looking for...um...thirty some odd years ago. So many books and so little time, eh?

Cheers!

Steves

 

[johnnyjet]

Here's "The Last Letter" from the Internet Speculative Fiction Database (ISFDB) showing all of its publications: Title: The Last Letter

I misread the year of its first publication. It was 1958 in Galaxy Magazine. I think I read it in the Fifth Galaxy Reader.

 

[Hugh]

Here's "The Last Letter" from the Internet Speculative Fiction Database (ISFDB) showing all of its publications: Title: The Last Letter

I misread the year of its first publication. It was 1958 in Galaxy Magazine. I think I read it in the Fifth Galaxy Reader.

I knew I'd read this!

 

[Steves]

Hi everyone,

Thank you and thank you all, and Johnnyjet - thank you for the database, I did not know it existed.

Cheers all!

Steves

 

[johnnyjet]

Glad I could help. I found out about that database from this forum. You should stick around. There's lots of knowledgeable and friendly folks here. Great place to hang out from time to time.

 

[Steves]

Indeed, I'm figuring on keeping this website in my "regulars," it's nice to have a community!

Cheers all,

Steves