© Slovak Post, 2008 The theme of letter writing is a common motif of European philatelic publishers, and a motif traditionally designated by PostEurop for 2008. Letter writing, in its various forms, has a long history dating to the invention of script and writing. Over the centuries, letter writing developed in tandem with technical advances and cultural developments: from the first hieroglyphs and papyruses, to Greek and Latin literature, to medieval Europe, to the most recent patterns of modernity. Letter writing has always played an unrivalled role among means of human communication. Until recent times, the letter - as the most popular form of written communication - was a synonym for correspondence in general. Words such as post-office, envelope, and stamp, were established as the external manifestation of this prominence. Today, the traditional form of the letter has gradually lost its dominance as the only and most prevalent form of human written communication. Not only have we changed the way we speak, also the technology we use to transfer written words has changed significantly. Mobile phones, the Internet, and e-mail have eroded the post-office, the envelope, and stamps as traditional symbols of communication. On the other hand, the instantaneousness and informational brevity of modern electronic messages deprives our communication of authenticity, human intimacy, and literary nature - qualities oft attributed to the letter. Do we still expect traditional letters in our mailbox? Or is it only junk-mail, bills, and official notices? Admittedly, there is good cause for an optimistic outlook for letter writing. Although technology has become an everyday part of our lives, we are still rooted in the culture of European humanity, which is both our founding and privilege. A letter with a message has an intrinsically deep human meaning and belongs to man and Europe of today. Letter writing will remain a necessity for every cultured human being. Jana Švecová