A personal letter is a type of letter which provides communication

Communication

Communication is the activity of conveying meaningful information. Communication requires a sender, a message, and an intended recipient, although the receiver need not be present or aware of the sender's intent to communicate at the time of communication; thus communication can occur across vast...

 between a small number of people, usually two. There are many types of personal letters and they are written for a wide variety of reasons:

• One person wishes to attain information from an individual or a business
  Business
  A business is an organization engaged in the trade of goods, services, or both to consumers. Businesses are predominant in capitalist economies, where most of them are privately owned and administered to earn profit to increase the wealth of their owners. Businesses may also be not-for-profit...
  
  .
• One person wishes to tell somebody about themselves, as in pen pal
  Pen pal
  Pen pals are people who regularly write to each other, particularly via postal mail.-Purposes:A penpal relationship is often used to practice reading and writing in a foreign language, to improve literacy, to learn more about other countries and life-styles, and to make friendships...
  
  s.
• One person wishes to present to an individual or a business a social
  Society
  A society, or a human society, is a group of people related to each other through persistent relations, or a large social grouping sharing the same geographical or virtual territory, subject to the same political authority and dominant cultural expectations...
  
   note, such as a thank-you or a congratulation.
• One person wishes to communicate with an acquaintance - friend or family, for example in order to maintain and reinforce the bond between them.

Surviving personal letters are often an important source of information about the lives of historical figures.

External links

• Personal letter writing guide