By an anonymous teenager, excerpted from the January 1963 issue of Seventeen magazine.

Craftsmanship shown by female letter writers is infinitely superior to that of males, and for a good reason. Girls learn their art through need, the necessity for overcoming boys’ natural dislike of writing letters. Turning a male into a faithful correspondent takes magic—or its equivalent: the ability to be both provocative and demure.

The beginning of your letter—the salutation—is crucial. Although the traditional “Dear George” can’t be faulted; I personally applaud the girl who tries a different approach” such as a breezy, one-word “Hi!” or…