The Beatrice Letters (A Series of Unfortunate Events) Hardcover – September 5, 2006

Perfect for an afternoon escape

If there's anyone on your gift list unlucky enough to own the entire series of unfortunate events, you may wish to inflict further adversity upon them by purchasing this additional volume for their collection. Not so much a book as a mystery contained between hard covers, this most attractively presented publication contains two folders, one with a large two-sided poster filled with clues, and a notebook containing correspondence exchanged between a guy named Lemony Snicket and what seems to be two people named Beatrice Baudelaire, one of whom claims to be a fourth Baudelaire sibling. The letters begin before The Bad Beginning and end sometime after The End.It soon becomes evident that the notebook contains many clues, and from the cover we learn that these clues are "suspiciously linked to Book the Thirteenth". The most obvious puzzle is the anagram using the punch out letters, but there's no way in heck that anybody's going to ruin the notebook by actually doing that. There are several solutions to the anagram, two of which contain names, the simplest one seeming to tie in with the poster illustration, and the other one connected through the correspondence. Even the cover has an illustrated surprise which could also be a clue.Conspiracy buffs will have a field day with this one, which is a lot trickier that it looks. For instance the occupation "baticeer" (someone who trains bats) won't be found in the dictionary, and the poem "My Silence Knot" is also a puzzle. It's highly unlikely that I'll be any closer to revealing any secrets by the time "The End" comes out next month, so I guess I'll just have to wait and see. In the interim, this one gets full marks for originality and presentation.Amanda Richards, September 17, 2006

Great quality for a used item. I was pleased that everything was in such great condition. My daughter was happy. Book is really neat and adds extra to the series ( for devoted fans ).

Daughter loves it.

Daniel Handler (the mastermind behind the figure of Lemony Snicket) is a literary master, a modern day Sartre or Camus; his literary, historical and cultural references are sadly missed by most younger readers and most adult readers just deem this books to be "only for kids"The Beatrice Letters work as sequel of sorts to the final book, you see what happens SPOILERS AHEAD to the siblings and the young Beatrice as well as look into the past at Lemony and Beatrice Baudelaire's relationship before she was Beatrice Baudelaire--a must read for any fan of the series though fairly difficult to follow for the younger group of fans, but no reason a bright kid wouldn't grasp it. Then again there might even be adults who don't understand it, you can miss one word and the understanding of the whole is thrown off, but the plot twist at the end is perfect (there are both subtle clues along the way, and one major one, hidden in Snicket fashion, where you would expect it to be and therefore not notice it because you were too busy looking for easter eggs instead)

"I haven't actually read the book yet. But it was not what I was expecting. However, I was expecting it to be more like a fully than actual. However, I was expecting it to be more like a folio than an actual book from the reviews I read online. It was a little disappointing. But it still looks nice. The cover is really pretty and the inside looks very Interesting. The book seems full of clues. And it also looks like it will make more mysteries than solve them. "- 10-year-old daughter. As she was going through the book she realized that there are missing punchouts.

Classy looking book to go along with the rest of the series of unfortunate events. Cant wait to read it!

Beautiful book, great gift for Lemony Snicket fans.Especially for those who crave about what happened after ASOUE!Our daughter (12) love it!