American drama critic Alexander Woollcott is known for instituting the Algonquin Round Table, a literary luncheon (held at the Algonquin Hotel in Manhattan in the 1920s) that hosted such luminaries as comedian Harpo Marx and writer Dorothy Parker. However, Woollcott’s life leading up to that point was remarkable: He went from a childhood in poverty to serving in the First World War to becoming a columnist for “The New Yorker” magazine. His surviving letters recount anecdotes from his life and the lives of his creative friends. His words here encourage us to see the value in the mundane, and to treat each day as part of the rich experience of life.