Alex Kingsbury on the Disappearance of Handwritten Letters

"The packet of letters became a local curiosity in the city of León, Spain. Not because of what was in them, but because of where they were found: in the secret compartment of a desk. The three dozen missives were sent by a woman named Constance MacBride to her father Paul, who lived at 479 Chestnut Street in the village of Waban in Newton, Mass.

"I first learned about the letters from my mother-in-law, who lives in León, a city four hours north of Madrid. She knows the family who found them and last spring, through a series of WhatsApp messages, she sent me a few photos of the curious, creased letters and the envelopes in which they were found. One glance and I was hooked. During our family trip to my wife's native country this winter, I went to get a first-hand look at the secret chamber and the letters themselves.

"They smell like they've been locked away for a half a century. But the sheets of paper aren't as brittle as you'd imagine, and the words written on them vibrate with life - like memories caught in the wild."

In a recent , Alex Kingsbury, deputy editor of the Boston Globe Ideas section reflected on the challenge of the disappearance of handwritten letters and what this means for historians.

To access Mr. Kingsbury's complete reflection, please visit:

Boston Globe: You've got mail - for now - The Boston Globe (25 FEB 18)