Are personal letters too sacred to publish?

Question: Are personal letters too sacred to publish!?

Personal letters are published all the time, but under varying circumstances!. My circumstance is, generally, the person who wrote them is probably no longer alive and didn't leave behind family to embarrass, etc!.

But they were personal!.!.!.!.!. written specifically to me!. What responsibility do I owe the author!?Www@QuestionHome@Com

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker:

Consider several factors:

1!. You are the recipient, so in some ways the letters belong to you!.

2!. The sender is deceased!. (You may want to double check on this)!.

3!. Are they embarrassing to you, the author, or a public figure!?

4!. Are you trying to profit from these!?

5!. Is the writer a public person, or otherwise famous!?

6!. Would anyone read them!?

It seems that you already know the answer in your mind!. If you have guilt about it, don't do it!.
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I think that if the letters are personal and were written to you by someone who is still living that you could not publish them without the permission of that person!. Essentially, whatever a person writes is copyrighted by the author and can not be used by another without his or her permission; even if the writer were recently dead, you'd need to request a release from his/her estate in order to publish them as a copyright is in effect until fifty years after the writer's death -- I think that would hold true for the letters as well!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

You have to ask the person who wrote them, as well as the recipient and everybody mentioned!.Www@QuestionHome@Com