Because written communication has nearly always been the medium for transmitting information in the business world, these essays are a step toward providing a seminal statement on the history and practice of business writing. The essays in this volume are: "Business Writing and the Spread of Literacy in Late Medieval England" (Malcolm Richardson); "Humanistic Influences on the Art of the Familiar Epistle in the Renaissance" (Donald R. Dickson); "The First Century of English Business Writing, 1417-1525" (Malcolm Richardson); "Methodology for Researching Early Business Writing in English" (Malcolm Richardson); "A 16th Century Work on Communication: Precursor of Modern Business Communication" (Herbert W. Hildebrandt); "The Earliest Correspondence of the British East India Company (1600-19)" Kitty O. Locker); "The Etiquette of American Business Correspondence" (L.W. Denton); "The Communication Theory of Johann Carl May: Its Influence on Business Communication in Germany" (Herbert W. Hildebrandt and Iris Varner); "Business Writing in America in the Nineteenth Century" (George H. Douglas); "'Elegant Simplicity': Lord Chesterfield's Ideal for Business Writing" (William E. Rivers); "From Press Book and Pigeonhole to Vertical Filing: Revolution in Storage and Access Systems for Correspondence (JoAnne Yates); "The Historical and Cultural Significance of Direct-Mail Fund-Raising Letters" (John Pauly); "'Sir, This Will Never Do': Model Dunning Letters, 1592-1873" (Kitty O. Locker); and "The Teaching of Business Writing at the Collegiate Level 1900-1920" (Francis W. Weeks). (SRT)