What is a letterbook? This is mentioned frequently in British archives, but I haven't been able to find it in any dictionary.

It's not a word I've come across. Could you give us a context?

quote:

letterbook

I've never seen or heard the word used. Letterbox I know, of course.

Entering "letterbook" into Google, we are offered a choice among nearly seven hundred thousand hits.

Here's one ... click !!

Here's another ... click !!

quote:

Entering "letterbook" into Google, we are offered a choice among nearly seven hundred thousand hits.

Here's one ... click !!

Here's another ... click !!

Both US sites, I note.

Try this.

The Free Dictionary defines it as "a book in which copies of letters are kept". It sounds like some sort of old-fashioned filing system.

Google shows 71,500 ghits for "letterbook uk" (without the quotation marks).

Click !!

This one gives an alternative view of Florence Nightingale that might be of interest here.

Not so old-fashioned at all. For years I kept a personal binder of every piece of correspondence I sent out. It was separate from the rest of the filing system, and served as a handy reference for what I had done. It was called a letterbook.

I wasn't alone. In fields in which communication was a large part of the effort, it was quite common.

I found this letterbook online.

I hadn't heard the word used before, and I'd thought it was British. But from Valentine's post, I guess not.