View source for Mail

{{short description|System for transporting documents and other small packages}}
{{other uses|Email|Mail (disambiguation)|Postal service (disambiguation)|Snail Mail (disambiguation)|Postage (album)}}
[[File:HK Postman Collect Letters.JPG|thumb|upright=1.5|A [[postman]] collecting mail for delivery]]

The '''mail''' or '''post''' is a system for physically transporting [[postcard]]s, [[letter (message)|letters]], and [[parcel (package)|parcels]].<ref>In Australia, Canada, and the U.S., the term "mail" is commonly used for the postal system and for the letters, postcards, and parcels it carries; in New Zealand, "post" is more common for the postal system and "mail" for the material delivered; in the UK, "post" prevails in both senses. However, the British, American, Australian, and Canadian national postal services are called, respectively, the "[[Royal Mail]]", the "[[United States Postal Service]]", "[[Australia Post]]", and "[[Canada Post]]"; in addition, such fixed phrases as "[[post office]]" or "[[Advertising mail|junk mail]]" are found throughout the English-speaking world.</ref> A postal service can be private or public, though many governments place restrictions on private systems. Since the mid-19th century, national postal systems have generally been established as a [[government monopoly]], with a fee on the article prepaid. Proof of payment is usually in the form of an adhesive [[postage stamp]], but a [[postage meter]] is also used for bulk mailing.

Postal authorities often have functions aside from transporting letters. In some countries, a [[Postal Telegraph and Telephone|postal, telegraph and telephone]] (PTT) service oversees the postal system, in addition to telephone and telegraph systems. Some countries' postal systems allow for [[savings account]]s and handle applications for [[passport]]s.

The [[Universal Postal Union]] (UPU), established in 1874, includes 192 member countries and sets the rules for international mail exchanges as a [[List of specialized agencies of the United Nations|Specialized Agency]] of the [[United Nations]].

== Etymology ==
[[File:Mail_Sample_(back_to_back).jpg|thumb|Mail envelope (back to back)]]
The word ''mail'' comes from the [[Middle English]] word {{lang|enm|male}}, referring to a travelling bag or pack.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia|title=mail, ''n.''<sup>2</sup>|encyclopedia=Dictionary.com|year=2007|edition=Unabridged (v 1.1)|url=http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/mail|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070219051534/http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/mail|archive-date=2007-02-19}}</ref> It was spelled in that manner until the 17th century and is distinct from the word [[male]]. The French have a similar word, {{Lang|fr|malle}}, for a trunk or large box, and {{Lang|ga|mála}} is the Irish term for a bag. In the 17th century, the word ''mail'' began to appear as a reference for a bag that contained letters: "bag full of letter" (1654). Over the next hundred years the word ''mail'' began to be applied strictly to the letters themselves and the sack as the ''mailbag''. In the 19th century, the British typically used ''mail'' to refer to letters being sent abroad (i.e. on a ship) and ''post'' to refer to letters for domestic delivery. The word ''Post'' is derived from [[Old French]] {{lang|fro|poste}}, which ultimately stems from the past participle of the [[Latin]] verb {{lang|la|ponere}} 'to lay down or place'.<ref>''Webster's Seventh New Collegiate Dictionary'', G. & C. Merriam Company, 1963, pp. 662–63.</ref> So in the U.K., the [[Royal Mail]] delivers the ''post'', while in North America both the [[United States Postal Service|U.S. Postal Service]] and [[Canada Post]] deliver the ''mail''.

The term ''[[email]]'', short for "electronic mail", first appeared in the 1970s.<ref>{{cite book|title=OED Online|publisher=Oxford University Press|year=2019|chapter=email, n.2}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.britannica.com/biography/Ray-Tomlinson|title=Ray Tomlinson|last=Bauer|first=Patricia|date=31 December 2018|website=Encyclopedia Britannica|access-date=22 January 2020|archive-date=12 March 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170312113048/https://www.britannica.com/biography/Ray-Tomlinson|url-status=live}}</ref> The term ''snail mail'' is a [[retronym]] to distinguish it from the quicker email. Various dates have been given for its first use.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lx7UAniLfJwC&q=surface%20mail&pg=PA4|title=Cognitive English Grammar|first1=Günter|last1=Radden|first2=René|last2=Dirven|date=1 January 2007|publisher=John Benjamins Publishing|page=4|isbn=978-1556196638|access-date=March 1, 2017|via=Google Books|archive-date=14 April 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230414054319/https://books.google.com/books?id=lx7UAniLfJwC&q=surface%20mail&pg=PA4|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9ZUtAAAAYAAJ&q=lady+%22take+a+bath+%22+maid&pg=PA662 |title=Fraser's Magazine for Town and Country |page=662 |year=1843 |access-date=2016-02-16 |archive-date=2023-04-14 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230414054329/https://books.google.com/books?id=9ZUtAAAAYAAJ&q=lady+%22take+a+bath+%22+maid&pg=PA662 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-VMEAAAAMBAJ&q=%22snail+mail%22%3B&pg=PA112-IA5|title=Snail Mail|magazine=Life|date=November 22, 1968|page=NY3|access-date=March 1, 2017|via=Google Books|archive-date=April 14, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230414054339/https://books.google.com/books?id=-VMEAAAAMBAJ&q=%22snail+mail%22%3B&pg=PA112-IA5|url-status=live}}</ref>

== History ==
{{anchor|history of postal systems}}<!-- linked -->
[[File:Houttakin postitalo.jpg|thumb|Many early post systems consisted of fixed courier routes. Here, a post house on a postal route in the 19th century [[Finland]]]]
The practice of communication by written documents carried by an intermediary from one person or place to another almost certainly dates back nearly to the invention of [[writing]]. However, the development of formal postal systems occurred much later. The first documented use of an organized [[courier]] service for the dissemination of written documents is in [[Egypt]], where [[Pharaoh]]s used couriers to send out decrees throughout the territory of the state (2400 BCE).<ref>{{cite book |author1=Altaweel, Mark |author2=Andrea Squitieri |title=Long-Distance Trade and Economy before and during the Age of Empires." Revolutionizing a World: From Small States to Universalism in the Pre-Islamic Near East |publisher=University College London Press |date=2018 |location= |pages=177 |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt21c4td4.10 |doi=10.2307/j.ctt21c4td4.10 |id= |isbn=978-1-911576-65-5 |jstor=j.ctt21c4td4.10 |access-date=2022-01-21 |archive-date=2022-01-21 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220121104655/https://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt21c4td4.10 |url-status=live }}</ref> The earliest surviving piece of mail is also Egyptian, dating to 255 BCE.<ref>{{cite web |title=About UPU: History |publisher=[[Universal Postal Union]] |date=2 October 2013 |url=https://www.upu.int/en/Universal-Postal-Union/About-UPU/History |access-date=10 January 2022 |archive-date=10 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220110104905/https://www.upu.int/en/Universal-Postal-Union/About-UPU/History |url-status=live }}</ref>

=== Persia (Iran) ===
{{main|Royal Road|Chapar-Khaneh|Angarium}}
The first credible claim for the development of a real postal system comes from [[Ancient Persia]]. The best-documented claim ([[Xenophon]]) attributes the invention to the Persian King [[Cyrus the Great]] (550 BCE), who mandated that every province in his kingdom would organize reception and delivery of post to each of its citizens. Other writers credit his successor [[Darius I of Persia]] (521 BCE). Other sources claim much earlier dates for an Assyrian postal system, with credit given to [[Hammurabi]] (1700 BCE) and [[Sargon II of Assyria|Sargon II]] (722 BCE). Mail may not have been the primary mission of this postal service, however. The role of the system as an intelligence gathering apparatus is well documented, and the service was (later) called ''angariae'', a term that in time came to indicate a tax system. The [[Old Testament]] ([[Esther]], VIII) makes mention of this system: [[Xerxes I|Ahasuerus]], king of [[Medes]], used couriers for communicating his decisions.

The [[Achaemenid Empire|Persian]] system worked using stations (called [[Chapar Khaneh|Chapar-Khaneh]]), whence the message carrier (called [[Chapar Khaneh|Chapar]]) would ride to the next post, whereupon he would swap his horse with a fresh one for maximum performance and delivery speed. [[Herodotus]] described the system in this way: "It is said that as many days as there are in the whole journey, so many are the men and horses that stand along the road, each horse and man at the interval of a day's journey; and these are stayed neither by snow nor rain nor heat nor darkness from accomplishing their appointed course with all speed".<ref>Herodotus, Herodotus, trans. A.D. Godley, vol. 4, book 8, verse 98, pp. 96–97 (1924).</ref> The verse prominently features on New York's [[James Farley Post Office]], although it uses the translation "Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds".

=== India ===

[[File:Red Scinde Dawk stamp.jpg|thumb|The use of the [[Scinde Dawk]] adhesive stamps to signify the prepayment of postage began on 1 July 1852 in the [[Scinde]]/[[Sindh]] district,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.firstissues.org/ficc/details/scinde_1.shtml |title=First Issues Collectors Club of stamps and philatelic material |access-date=2007-07-28 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120904135544/http://www.firstissues.org/ficc/details/scinde_1.shtml |archive-date=2012-09-04 }} First Issues Collectors Club (retrieved 25 September)</ref> as part of a comprehensive reform of the district's postal system.]]
{{main|Postal history of India}}
The economic growth and political stability under the [[Mauryan Empire]] (322–185 BCE) stimulated sustained development of civil infrastructure in ancient [[India]]. The Mauryans developed early Indian mail service as well as public wells, rest houses, and other facilities for the public.<ref>Dorn 2006: 145</ref> Common chariots called ''Dagana'' were sometimes used as mail chariots in ancient India.<ref>Prasad 2003: 104</ref> Couriers were used militarily by kings and local rulers to deliver information through runners and other carriers. The postmaster, the head of the intelligence service, was responsible for ensuring the maintenance of the courier system. Couriers were also used to deliver personal letters.<ref>Mazumdar 1990: 1</ref>

In [[South India]], the [[Wodeyar dynasty]] (1399–1947) of the [[Kingdom of Mysore]] used mail service for espionage purposes thereby acquiring knowledge related to matters that took place at great distances.<ref>Aiyangar 2004: 302</ref>

By the end of the 18th century, a postal system in India was in operation. Later this system underwent complete modernization when the [[British Raj]] established its control over most of India. The ''Post Office Act XVII'' of 1837 provided that the Governor-General of India in Council had the exclusive right of conveying letters by post for hire within the territories of the East India Company. The mails were available to certain officials without charge, which became a controversial privilege as the years passed. On this basis the Indian Post Office was established on October 1, 1837.<ref>Lowe 1951: 134</ref>

=== Rome ===
{{main|cursus publicus}}
The first well-documented postal service was that of [[Rome]]. Organized at the time of [[Augustus Caesar]] (62 BCE – 14 CE), the service was called ''[[cursus publicus]]'' and was provided with light carriages (''rhedæ'') pulled by fast horses. By the time of [[Diocletian]], a parallel service was established with two-wheeled carts (''birotæ'') pulled by [[oxen]]. This service was reserved for government correspondence. Yet another service for citizens was later added.{{Citation needed|date=October 2013}}{{dubious|date=October 2013}}

=== Vietnam ===
In 1802, the first Vietnamese postal service was established under the [[Nguyễn dynasty|Nguyen dynasty]], under the Ministry of Rites.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Tran |first=Lanh |title=Lịch sử Bưu điện Việt Nam: Hành trình từ thời Nguyễn đến thời Pháp thuộc |url=https://vietnamnet.vn/lich-su-buu-dien-viet-nam-hanh-trinh-tu-thoi-nguyen-den-thoi-phap-thuoc-i418194.html |access-date=2023-12-28 |website=VietNamNet News |language=vietnamese}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Lịch sử Bưu điện Việt Nam: Hành trình từ thời Nguyễn đến thời Pháp thuộc |url=https://lamdong.gov.vn/sites/stttt/bc-vt/SitePages/Lich-su-Buu-dien-Viet-Nam-Hanh-trinh-tu-thoi-Nguyen-den-thoi-Phap-thuoc.aspx |access-date=2023-12-28 |website=lamdong.gov.vn}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-08-25 |title=Lịch sử Bưu điện Việt Nam: Hành trình từ thời Nguyễn đến thời Pháp thuộc |url=https://mic.gov.vn/mic_2020/Pages/TinTuc/tinchitiet.aspx?tintucid=154941 |access-date=2023-12-28}}</ref> During the Nguyen dynasty, official documents were transported by horse and other primitive means to stations built about 25-30 kilometers apart.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Tran |first=Lanh |title=Lịch sử Bưu điện Việt Nam: Hành trình từ thời Nguyễn đến thời Pháp thuộc |url=https://vietnamnet.vn/lich-su-buu-dien-viet-nam-hanh-trinh-tu-thoi-nguyen-den-thoi-phap-thuoc-i418194.html |access-date=2023-12-28 |website=VietNamNet News |language=vietnamese}}</ref> In 1904, three wireless communication offices were established, and in early 1906 they were merged with the postal service to form the Post and Wireless Office.<ref>{{Cite web |title=70 năm truyền thống của Ngành Bưu điện: Những dấu ấn lịch sử |url=https://dangcongsan.vn/tu-tuong-van-hoa/70-nam-truyen-thong-cua-nganh-buu-dien-nhung-dau-an-lich-su-317038.html |access-date=2023-12-28 |website=dangcongsan.vn |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Kỷ niệm 75 năm Ngày truyền thống ngành Bưu điện |url=https://hcmcpv.org.vn/tin-tuc/ky-niem-75-nam-ngay-truyen-thong-nganh-buu-dien-1491868474 |access-date=2023-12-28 |website=hcmcpv.org.vn}}</ref> In 1945, after the August Revolution, the Post and Wireless Office was renamed the Post Office under the Ministry of Transportation.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Công tác thông tin liên lạc từ sau Cách mạng tháng 8 năm 1945 đến năm 1954 |url=https://hanoi.vnpt.vn/gioi-thieu/cong-tac-thong-tin-lien-lac-tu-sau-cach-mang-thang-8-nam-1945-den-nam-1954-2-3006235.html |access-date=2023-12-28 |website=hanoi.vnpt.vn |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Trần |first=Lành |date=2021-08-15 |title=Nhật Minh Expresss |url=https://nhatminhexpress.com |access-date=2023-12-28 |website=thanhnien.vn |language=vi}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=ictvietnam.vn |date=2015-11-03 |title=70 năm Ngành Bưu điện Việt Nam: Thông tin liên lạc trong 9 năm kháng chiến chống thực dân Pháp |url=https://ictvietnam.vn/70-nam-nganh-buu-dien-viet-nam-thong-tin-lien-lac-trong-9-nam-khang-chien-chong-thuc-dan-phap-52787.html |access-date=2023-12-28 |website=Tạp chí điện tử Thông tin và Truyền thông |language=vi}}</ref> In 1955, the Post Office was upgraded to the Ministry of Post.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Dấu mốc ngành Bưu điện từ thời kháng chiến đến thời tách quản lý nhà nước và kinh doanh |url=https://mic.gov.vn/bcci/Pages/TinTuc/154942/Dau-moc-nganh-Buu-dien-tu-thoi-khang-chien-den-thoi-tach-quan-ly-nha-nuoc-va-kinh-doanh.html |access-date=2023-12-28}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Ngành TT&TT: Tiếp bước cội nguồn - Khởi tạo tương lai |url=https://lamdong.gov.vn/sites/lamha/tintonghop/vanhoathethao/SitePages/Nganh-TT.aspx |access-date=2023-12-28 |website=lamdong.gov.vn}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Lịch sử 70 năm phát triển của ngành GTVT Việt Nam |url=https://mt.gov.vn/vn/tin-tuc/34827/lich-su-70-nam-phat-trien-cua-nganh-gtvt-viet-nam.aspx |access-date=2023-12-28 |website=mt.gov.vn}}</ref>

=== China ===
{{Main|Postal history of China}}
[[File:Stamp China 1949 4c on 100 silver ovpt.jpg|thumb|[[China]] 4-cent on 100-dollar silver overprint of 1949]]
Some Chinese sources claim mail or postal systems dating back to the [[Xia dynasty|Xia]] or [[Shang Dynasty|Shang]] [[list of Chinese dynasties|dynasties]], which would be the oldest mailing service in the world. The earliest credible system of couriers was initiated by the [[Han Dynasty]] (206 BCE – 220 CE), who had relay stations every 30 [[li (unit)|li]] (about 15km) along major routes.

The [[Tang dynasty]] (618 to 907 AD) operated a recorded 1,639 posthouses, including maritime offices, employing around 20,000 people. The system was administered by the Ministry of War and private correspondence was forbidden from the network. The [[Ming dynasty]] (1368 to 1644) sought a postal system to deliver mail quickly, securely, and cheaply. Adequate speed was always a problem, because of the slow overland transportation system, and underfunding. Its network had 1,936 posthouses every 60 li along major routes, with fresh horses available every 10 li between them.<ref>Chelsea Zi Wang, "More Haste, Less Speed: Sources of Friction in the Ming Postal System". ''Late Imperial China'' 40.2 (2019): 89–140.</ref> The [[Qing dynasty|Qing]] operated 1,785 posthouses throughout their lands. More efficient, however, was the system linking the international settlements, centered around Shanghai and the Treaty ports. It was the main communication system for China's international trade.<ref>Lane J. Harris, "Stumbling towards empire: the Shanghai Local Post Office, the transnational British community and informal empire in China, 1863–97". ''Journal of Imperial and Commonwealth History'' 46.3 (2018): 418–445.</ref>

=== Mongol Empire ===
{{main|Örtöö}}
[[Genghis Khan]] installed an empire-wide messenger and postal station system named ''[[Örtöö]]'' within the [[Mongol Empire]]. During the [[Yuan Dynasty]] under [[Kublai Khan]], this system also covered the territory of China. Postal stations were used not only for the transmission and delivery of [[official mail]] but were also available for travelling officials, military men, and foreign dignitaries. These stations aided and facilitated the transport of foreign and domestic tribute specifically and the conduct of trade in general.

By the end of Kublai Khan's rule, there were more than 1400 postal stations in China alone, which in turn had at their disposal about 50,000 horses, 1,400 oxen, 6,700 mules, 400 carts, 6,000 boats, more than 200 dogs, and 1,150 sheep.<ref name=Mote/>

The stations were {{convert|25|to|65|km|abbr=on}} apart and had reliable attendants working for the mail service. Foreign observers, such as [[Marco Polo]], have attested to the efficiency of this early postal system.<ref name=Mote>Mote 1978: 450</ref>

Each station was maintained by up to twenty five families. Work for postal service counted as military service. The system was still operational in 18th century when 64 stations were required for a message to cross Mongolia from the [[Altai Mountains]] to China.<ref>{{cite book|last=Weatherford|first=Jack|title=Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World|year=2004}}</ref>

=== Japan===
The modern Japanese system was developed in the mid-19th century, closely copying European models. Japan was highly innovative in developing the world's largest and most successful postal savings system and later a postal life insurance system as well. Postmasters play a key role in linking the Japanese political system to local politics. The postmasters are high prestige, and are often hereditary.<ref>Patricia L. Maclachlan, ''The people's post office: The history and politics of the Japanese postal system, 1871–2010'' (Brill, 2012).</ref> To a large extent, the postal system generated the enormous funding necessary to rapidly industrialize Japan in the late 19th century.<ref>Sheldon Garon, ''Beyond Our Means: Why America Spends While the World Saves'' (2012) pp 143–67.</ref>

=== Other systems ===
[[File:Poczta Główna (Main post office) (9159136558).jpg|thumbnail|An example of a main post office building in [[Kraków]], [[Poland]]]]
[[File:Post-cycle-Cologne-508.jpg|thumb|Delivery by bicycle in [[Germany]]]]
Another important postal service was created in the [[Islam]]ic world by the ''[[caliph]]'' Mu'awiyya; the service was called ''[[Barid (caliphate)|barid]]'', for the name of the towers built to protect the roads by which couriers travelled.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia | article = Post, or Barid | first = Adam | last = Silverstein | encyclopedia = Medieval Islamic Civilization, An Encyclopedia, Volume 2: L–Z, Index | editor-first = Josef W. | editor-last = Meri | publisher = Routledge | location = Leiden and New York | year = 2006 | isbn = 0-415-96692-2 | pages = 631–632 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=LaV-IGZ8VKIC&pg=PA631 }}</ref>

By 3000 BC, Egypt was using [[homing pigeon]]s for [[pigeon post]], taking advantage of a singular quality of this bird, which when taken far from its nest is able to find its way home due to a particularly developed sense of orientation. Messages were then tied around the legs of the pigeon, which was freed and could reach its original nest. By the 19th century, homing pigeons were used extensively for military communications.<ref>Carter W. Clarke, "Signal Corps Pigeons". ''The Military Engineer'' 25.140 (1933): 133–138 [https://www.jstor.org/stable/44563742 Online] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200229005845/https://www.jstor.org/stable/44563742 |date=2020-02-29 }}.</ref>

[[Charlemagne]] extended to the whole territory of his empire the system used by [[Franks]] in northern [[Gaul]] and connected this service with that of [[missus dominicus|''missi dominici'']].<ref>François L. Ganshof, "The impact of Charlemagne on the institutions of the Frankish realm". ''Speculum'' 40.1 (1965): 47–62 [http://spraguehs.com/staff/curry_michael/02%20World%20Humanities/DRAG/DBQs/CharlemagneDBQ.pdf Online .] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200727132801/http://spraguehs.com/staff/curry_michael/02%20World%20Humanities/DRAG/DBQs/CharlemagneDBQ.pdf |date=2020-07-27 }}</ref>{{Fv|date=November 2023}}

In the mid-11th century, flax traders known as the [[Cairo Geniza]] Merchants from [[Fustat]], Egypt wrote about using a postal service known as the ''kutubi.'' The ''kutubi'' system managed routes between the cities of Jerusalem, Ramla, Tyre, Ascalon, Damascus, Aleppo, and Fustat with year-round, regular mail delivery.<ref>Goldberg, Jessica, "Trade and Institutions in the Medieval Mediterranean : The Geniza Merchants and Their Business World". ''Cambridge University Press'', (2012): 189–193.</ref>

Many religious orders had a private mail service. Notably, the [[Cistercians]] had one which connected more than 6,000 [[abbey]]s, [[monastery|monasteries]], and churches. The best organization, however, was created by the [[Knights Templar]].<ref>Marco Mostert, "New approaches to medieval communication?" in ''New approaches to medieval communication'' (1999) pp. 15–37.</ref>{{Fv|date=November 2023}}

In 1716, Correos y Telégrafos was established in Spain as public mail service, available to all citizens. Delivery postmen were first employed in 1756 and post boxes were installed firstly in 1762.<ref>Alvaro Escribano, Patricia González, and Julio Lasheras. "Evolution and Analysis of the Market Structure of Postal Services in Spain" in ''Competitive Transformation of the Postal and Delivery Sector'' (Springer, 2003) pp. 287–309.</ref>

=== Thurn und Taxis ===
In 1505, [[Holy Roman Emperor]] [[Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor|Maximilian I]] established a postal system in the Empire, appointing Franz von Taxis to run it. This system, originally the ''[[Kaiserliche Reichspost]]'', is often considered the first modern postal service in the world, which initiated a revolution in communication in Europe.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Metzig |first1=Gregor |title=Kommunikation und Konfrontation: Diplomatie und Gesandtschaftswesen Kaiser Maximilians I. (1486–1519) |date=21 November 2016 |publisher=Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG |isbn=978-3-11-045673-8 |pages=98, 99 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MiyXDQAAQBAJ&pg=PA98 |access-date=7 February 2022 |language=de}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Meinel |first1=Christoph |last2=Sack |first2=Harald |title=Digital Communication: Communication, Multimedia, Security |date=2014 |publisher=Springer Science & Business Media |isbn=9783642543319 |page=31 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5O25BAAAQBAJ&pg=PA31 |access-date=20 September 2021 |archive-date=26 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210926235052/https://books.google.com/books?id=5O25BAAAQBAJ&pg=PA31 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Pavlac |first1=Brian A. |last2=Lott |first2=Elizabeth S. |title=The Holy Roman Empire: A Historical Encyclopedia [2 volumes] |date=1 June 2019 |publisher=ABC-CLIO |isbn=978-1-4408-4856-8 |page=255 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=arSYDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA255 |access-date=7 February 2022 |language=en}}</ref> The system combined contemporary technical and organization means to create a stable transcontinental service which was also the first to offer (fee-based) public access.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Stollberg-Rilinger |first1=Barbara |title=The Holy Roman Empire: A Short History |date=11 May 2021 |publisher=Princeton University Press |isbn=978-0-691-21731-4 |pages=46, 47 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=w5IIEAAAQBAJ&pg=PA47 |access-date=24 February 2022 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Rossum |first1=Gerhard Dohrn-van |last2=Dohrn |first2=Gerhard |title=History of the Hour: Clocks and Modern Temporal Orders |date=1996 |publisher=University of Chicago Press |isbn=978-0-226-15511-1 |page=336 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xYhlNoUu-toC&pg=PA336 |access-date=24 February 2022 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Fang |first1=Irving E. |title=Alphabet to Internet: Mediated Communication in Our Lives |date=2008 |publisher=Rada Press |isbn=978-1-933011-90-5 |page=2008 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=O_PtAAAAMAAJ |access-date=14 March 2022 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Thurn and Taxis postal system European history Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/Thurn-and-Taxis-postal-system |website=www.britannica.com |language=en}}</ref>
 The [[Thurn und Taxis]] family, then known as Tassis, had operated postal services between Italian city-states from 1290 onward. [[File:Anselm Franz von Thurn und Taxis.jpg|thumb|Postmaster [[Anselm Franz, 2nd Prince of Thurn and Taxis]] (1681–1739) still today part of the logo of the Whitepages in many countries]] For 500 years the postal business based in Brussels and in Frankfurt was passed from one generation to another. Following the abolition of the Empire in 1806, the [[Thurn-und-Taxis Post]] system continued as a private organization into the postage stamp era before being absorbed into the postal system of the new German Empire after 1871.[[File:Prince_Maximilian_Karl_von_Thurn_und_Taxis.jpg|thumb|Postmaster [[Maximilian Karl, 6th Prince of Thurn and Taxis]] (1802–1871) last Postmaster]] 1867 July 1 the State of Prussia had to make a compensation payment of 3.000.000 Thalers reinvested by [[Duchess Helene in Bavaria|Helene von Thurn & Taxis]], daughter-in-law of the last postmaster, [[Maximilian Karl, 6th Prince of Thurn and Taxis]], into real estate, most of it continuing to exist today.

The Phone Book of the World has its roots in the long history of the avant-garde telecommunications family Thurn & Taxis.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://pbof.com/thurn-taxis/#1986 |title=Thurn & Taxis pushing a comeback of Telecom activities in Paris, next to the last, still existing historic Postal mansion |access-date=2022-01-12 |archive-date=2021-02-27 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210227211940/http://pbof.com/thurn-taxis/#1986 |url-status=live }}</ref>{{Unreliable source?|date=April 2023|reason=Self referencing source|certain=|name=}} The directory is the result of [[Johannes von Thurn und Taxis|Johannes, 11th Prince of Thurn & Taxis]] transmitting PTT culture to a student and helping with the opening of a small Telephone Boutique next to a historic Postal mansion his ancestors used to go to centuries earlier.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://pbof.com/thurn-taxis/#1702 |title=The Paris Hotel de la Poste / VB mansion, connecting point of the Post in the Bourbon territories and operated by the Pajot & Rouille family and the Post in the Habsburg territories operated by the Thurn & Taxis family |access-date=2022-01-12 |archive-date=2021-02-27 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210227211940/http://pbof.com/thurn-taxis/#1702 |url-status=live }}</ref> {{Unreliable source?|date=April 2023|reason=Self referencing source|certain=|name=}}[[File:Johannes,_11th_Prince_of_Thurn_and_Taxis_(1981).jpg|thumb|[[Johannes von Thurn und Taxis|Johannes, 11th Prince of Thurn & Taxis]] (1926–1990) heir of the Postal fortune]] Several European Post Carriers like [[Deutsche Post]] or [[Österreichische Post]] continue to use the Thurn & Taxis Post Horn in their company logo just like the global Phone Book of the World based in the old Postal mansion of King Louis XIV in Paris.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://pbof.com/ |title=Phone Book of the World using the Thurn & Taxis Posthorn in the company logo |access-date=2022-01-12 |archive-date=2021-10-17 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211017155535/https://pbof.com/ |url-status=live }}</ref>{{Unreliable source?|date=April 2023|reason=Self referencing source|certain=|name=}}

=== Postal reforms ===
[[File:Penny black.jpg|thumb|upright=0.65|The [[Penny Black]], the world's first postage stamp]]
{{see also|Uniform Fourpenny Post|Uniform Penny Post}}
In the United Kingdom, prior to 1840 letters were paid for by the recipient and the cost was determined by the distance from sender to recipient and the number of sheets of paper rather than by a countrywide flat rate with weight restrictions. [[Rowland Hill (postal reformer)|Sir Rowland Hill]] reformed the postal system based on the concepts of [[Uniform Penny Post|penny postage]] and prepayment.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.postalmuseum.org/collections/rowland-hill-postal-reforms/ |title=Rowland Hill's Postal Reforms |work=The British Postal Museum & Archive |access-date=22 January 2023 |url-status=live |archive-date=22 January 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230122034542/https://www.postalmuseum.org/collections/rowland-hill-postal-reforms/ }}</ref> In his proposal, Hill also called for official pre-printed [[Mulready stationery|envelopes]] and adhesive [[postage stamp]]s as alternative ways of getting the sender to pay for the postage, at a time when prepayment was optional, which led to the invention of the postage stamp, the [[Penny Black]].

=== Modern transport and technology ===

[[File:Bundesarchiv Bild 183-R36070, Luftpost.jpg|thumb|upright|The first [[airmail]] flight in Germany, 1912.]]
The postal system was important in the development of modern transportation. Railways carried [[railway post office]]s. During the 20th century, [[air mail]] became the transport of choice for inter-continental mail. Postmen started to use [[mail truck]]s. The handling of mail became increasingly automated.

The [[Internet]] came to change the conditions for physical mail. Email (and in recent years [[social networking]] sites) became a fierce competitor to physical mail systems, but [[online auction]]s and [[Internet shopping]] opened new business opportunities as people often get items bought online through the mail.

== Modern mail ==

Modern mail is organized by national and privatized services, which are reciprocally connected by international regulations, organizations and international agreements. Paper letters and parcels can be sent to almost any country in the world relatively easily and cheaply. The Internet has made the process of sending letter-like messages nearly instantaneous, and in many cases and situations correspondents use email where they previously would have used letters. The volume of paper mail sent through the U.S. Postal Service has declined by more than 15% since its peak at 213&nbsp;billion pieces per annum in 2006.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://about.usps.com/future-postal-service/gcg-narrative.pdf |title=USPS volume report by The Boston Consulting Group on USPS public website |access-date=2019-09-02 |archive-date=2015-10-25 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151025220341/http://about.usps.com/future-postal-service/gcg-narrative.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>[http://about.usps.com/who-we-are/postal-history/first-class-mail-1926-2010.pdf First Class Mail Volume, 1926–2010] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120114113728/http://about.usps.com/who-we-are/postal-history/first-class-mail-1926-2010.pdf |date=2012-01-14 }}</ref>

=== Organization ===

Some countries have organized their mail services as public limited liability corporations without a [[legal monopoly]].

The worldwide postal system constituting the individual national postal systems of the world's self-governing states is coordinated by the [[Universal Postal Union]], which among other things sets international postage rates, defines standards for [[postage stamp]]s and operates the system of [[international reply coupon]]s.

In most countries a system of codes has been created (referred to as ''[[ZIP code]]s'' in the United States, ''postcodes'' in the United Kingdom and Australia, ''[[eircode]]s'' in Ireland and ''[[postal code]]s'' in most other countries) in order to facilitate the automation of operations. This also includes placing additional marks on the address portion of the letter or mailed object, called "bar coding". Bar coding of mail for delivery is usually expressed either by a series of vertical bars, usually called [[POSTNET]] coding or a block of dots as a [[Barcode#2D barcodes|two-dimensional barcode]]. The "block of dots" method allows for the encoding of proof of payment of postage, exact routing for delivery, and other features.

[[File:APC 77598 Webster Texas.jpg|thumb|An automated postal machine]]

The ordinary mail service was improved in the 20th century with the use of planes for a quicker delivery. The world's first scheduled [[airmail]] post service took place in the United Kingdom between the London suburbs of [[Hendon]] and [[Windsor, Berkshire]], on 9 September 1911.<ref>Baldwin, N. C. (1960), p. 5, ''Fifty Years of British Air Mails'', Francis J.Field Ltd.</ref> Some methods of airmail proved ineffective, however, including the United States Postal Service's experiment with [[rocket mail]].

Receipt services were made available in order to grant the sender a confirmation of effective delivery.

=== Payment {{anchor |postage}}===

Before about the mid-nineteenth century, in regions where postal systems existed, the payment models varied, but most mail was sent unpaid requiring the recipient to pay the postage fee. In some regions a partial payment was made by the sender. Today, worldwide, the most common method of prepaying postage is by buying an adhesive [[postage stamp]] to be applied to the envelope before mailing; a much less common method is to use a postage-prepaid [[envelope]]. [[Franking]] is a method of creating postage-prepaid envelopes under licence using a special machine. They are used by companies with large mail programs, such as [[bank]]s and [[direct mail]] companies.

In 1998, the [[United States Postal Service|U.S. Postal Service]] authorised the first tests of a secure system of sending digital franks via the [[Internet]] to be printed out on a PC printer, obviating the necessity to license a dedicated franking machine and allowing companies with smaller mail programs to make use of the option; this was later expanded to test the use of personalized postage. The service provided by the U.S. Postal Service in 2003 allows the franks to be printed out on special adhesive-backed labels.

In 2004 the [[Royal Mail]] in the United Kingdom introduced its ''SmartStamp'' Internet-based system, allowing printing on ordinary adhesive labels or envelopes. Similar systems are being considered by postal administrations around the world.

When the pre-paid envelope or package is accepted into the mail by an agent of the postal service, the agent usually indicates by means of a [[Cancellation (mail)|cancellation]] that it is no longer valid for pre-payment of postage. The exceptions are when the agent forgets or neglects to cancel the mailpiece, for stamps that are pre-cancelled and thus do not require cancellation and for, in most cases, metered mail. (The "personalized stamps" authorized by the USPS and manufactured by Zazzle and other companies are in fact a form of meter label and thus do not need to be cancelled.)

=== Privacy and censorship ===
{{main|Postal censorship}}
[[File:IDET2007 StB steam envelope opener.jpg|thumb|"The Steamboat" – mobile steaming equipment used by Czech [[StB]] for unsticking of envelopes during correspondence surveillance]]
Documents should generally not be read by anyone other than the addressee; for example, in the United States of America it is a violation of federal law for anyone other than the addressee and the government to open mail.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/18/1702.html |title=United States Code: Title 18, 1702. Obstruction of correspondence |publisher=Legal Information Institute of Cornell University Law School |access-date=September 14, 2010 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100904142937/http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/18/1702.html |archive-date=September 4, 2010 }}</ref> There are exceptions however: executives often assign secretaries or assistants the task of handling their mail; and postcards do not require opening and can be read by anyone. For mail contained within an envelope, there are legal provisions in some jurisdictions allowing the recording of identities of sender and recipient.<ref name="deccan">[http://www.deccanherald.com/deccanherald/jan172006/panorama19352006116.asp Back when spies played by the rules] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070311121314/http://www.deccanherald.com/deccanherald/jan172006/panorama19352006116.asp |date=2007-03-11 }}, ''Deccan Herald'', January 17, 2006. Retrieved 29 December 2006.</ref>

The privacy of correspondence is guaranteed by the constitutions of [[Constitution of Mexico|Mexico]], [[Constitution of Colombia|Colombia]], [[Constitution of Brazil|Brazil]] and [[Constitution of Venezuela|Venezuela]], and is alluded to in the [[European Convention on Human Rights]]<ref>Article 8(1): Everyone has the right to respect for his private and family life, his home and his correspondence. {{cite web |url=http://www.echr.coe.int/NR/rdonlyres/D5CC24A7-DC13-4318-B457-5C9014916D7A/0/EnglishAnglais.pdf |title=European Convention on Human Rights |access-date=2007-01-18 |archive-date=2009-01-04 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090104073701/http://www.echr.coe.int/NR/rdonlyres/D5CC24A7-DC13-4318-B457-5C9014916D7A/0/EnglishAnglais.pdf |url-status=live }}&nbsp;{{small|(179&nbsp;KB)}}</ref> and the [[Universal Declaration of Human Rights]].<ref name="deccan"/> The control of the contents inside private citizens' mail is [[censorship]] and concerns social, political, and legal aspects of [[civil rights]]. International mail and packages are subject to [[customs]] control, with the mail and packages often surveyed and their contents sometimes edited out (or even in).{{Citation needed|date=June 2013}}

There have been cases over the millennia of governments opening and copying or photographing the contents of private mail.<ref name="deccan"/><ref>[http://www.icdc.com/~paulwolf/cointelpro/churchfinalreportIIIh.htm CIA Intelligence Collection About Americans] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081227114615/http://www.icdc.com/~paulwolf/cointelpro/churchfinalreportIIIh.htm |date=2008-12-27 }} (400 KB download)</ref> Subject to the laws in the relevant jurisdiction, correspondence may be openly or covertly opened, or the contents determined via some other method, by the police or other authorities in some cases relating to a suspected criminal conspiracy, although [[Cabinet noir|black chamber]]s (largely in the past, though there is apparently some continuance of their use today) opened extralegally.

The mail service may be allowed to open the mail if neither addressee nor sender can be located, in order to attempt to locate either. Mail service may also open the mail to inspect if it contains materials that are hazardous to transport or violate local laws.

While in most cases [[Postal censorship|mail censorship]] is exceptional, [[military mail]] to and from soldiers is often subject to surveillance.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=History comes to life with censored covers |url=https://www.linns.com/news/postal-updates-page/history-comes-to-life-with-censored-covers.html |access-date=2022-10-28 |website=Linns Stamp News |language=en |archive-date=2022-10-28 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221028040159/https://www.linns.com/news/postal-updates-page/history-comes-to-life-with-censored-covers.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The mail is censored to prevent leaking tactical secrets, such as troop movements or weather conditions.<ref name=":0" /> Depending on the country, civilian mail containing military secrets can also be monitored and censored.<ref name=":0" />

Mail sent to and from inmates in jails or prisons within the United States is subject to opening and review by jail or prison staff to determine if the mail has any criminal action dictated or provides means for an escape. The only mail that is not able to be read is attorney client mail, which is covered under the attorney-client confidentiality laws in the United States.<ref>{{Cite web |title=A Blind Spot in Attorney-Client Confidentiality |url=https://www.americanbar.org/advocacy/governmental_legislative_work/publications/washingtonletter/january_2020/bop-attorney-client/ |access-date=2022-07-01 |website=www.americanbar.org |language=en |archive-date=2022-07-01 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220701213128/https://www.americanbar.org/advocacy/governmental_legislative_work/publications/washingtonletter/january_2020/bop-attorney-client/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

=== Rise of electronic correspondence ===

Modern alternatives, such as the [[telegraph]], [[telephone]], [[telex]], [[fax|facsimile]], and [[email]], have reduced the attractiveness of paper mail for many applications. These modern alternatives have some advantages: in addition to their speed, they may be more secure, e.g., because the general public cannot learn the address of the sender or recipient from the envelope, and occasionally traditional items of mail may fail to arrive, e.g. due to vandalism to mailboxes, unfriendly pets, and adverse weather conditions. Mail carriers due to perceived hazards or inconveniences, may refuse, officially or otherwise, to deliver mail to a particular address (for instance, if there is no clear path to the door or mailbox). On the other hand, traditional mail avoids the possibility of computer malfunctions and [[malware]], and the recipient does not need to print it out if they wish to have a paper copy, though scanning is required to make a digital copy.

Physical mail is still widely used in business and personal communications for such reasons as legal requirements for [[signature]]s, requirements of etiquette, and the requirement to enclose small physical objects.

Since the advent of [[email]], which is almost always much faster, the postal system has come to be referred to in [[Internet slang]] by the [[retronym]] "[[Snail Mail (disambiguation)|snail mail]]". Occasionally, the term "white mail" has also been used as a neutral term for postal mail.

Mainly during the 20th century, experimentation with [[hybrid mail]] has combined electronic and paper delivery. Electronic mechanisms include [[telegram]], [[teleprinter|telex]], facsimile ([[fax]]), [[email]], and short message service ([[Short Message Service|SMS]]). There have been methods which have combined mail and some of these newer methods, such as temporary emails, that combine facsimile transmission with overnight delivery.<ref>{{cite web |title=Significant Years in U.S. Postal History |publisher=[[United States Postal Service]] |year=2015 |url=https://about.usps.com/publications/pub100/pub100_076.htm |access-date=13 May 2015 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150227063650/http://about.usps.com/publications/pub100/pub100_076.htm |archive-date=27 February 2015 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Treaties |work=Postal Matters |publisher=United States Embassy, Bulgaria |date=25 June 1990 |url=http://bulgaria.usembassy.gov/postalmatters.html |access-date=13 May 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150919081040/http://bulgaria.usembassy.gov/postalmatters.html |archive-date=19 September 2015 }}</ref> These vehicles commonly use a mechanical or electro-mechanical standardised writing (typing), that on the one hand makes for more efficient communication, while on the other hand makes impossible characteristics and practices that traditionally were in conventional mail, such as [[calligraphy]].

This epoch{{when|date=June 2013}} is undoubtedly mainly dominated by mechanical writing, with a general use of no more of half a dozen standard typographic [[typeface|fonts]] from standard keyboards. However, the increased use of typewritten or computer-printed letters for personal communication and the advent of email have sparked renewed interest in calligraphy, as a letter has become more of a "special event". Long before email and computer-printed letters, however, decorated envelopes, [[rubber stamp]]s and [[artistamp]]s formed part of the medium of [[mail art]].<ref>{{cite web |last1=Kordic |first1=Angie |title=How Did Mail Art Develop into a Global Art Movement? |url=https://www.widewalls.ch/magazine/mail-art-correspondence-postal |website=Widewalls |publisher=Widewalls Modern & Contemporary Art Source |access-date=24 June 2023}}</ref>

In the 2000s (decade) with the advent of [[eBay]] and other online [[auction sites]] and [[online store]]s, postal services in industrialized nations have seen a major shift to item shipping. This has been seen as a boost to the system's usage in the wake of lower paper mail volume due to the accessibility of email.

[[Online post office]]s have emerged to give recipients a means of receiving traditional correspondence mail in a scanned electronic format.

=== Collecting ===
[[File:François Barraud - Le Philatéliste.jpg|thumb|''Le Philateliste'' by [[François Barraud]] (1929).]]
[[Postage stamp]]s are also object of a particular form of [[collecting]]. [[Stamp collecting]] has been a very popular [[hobby]]. In some cases, when demand greatly exceeds supply, their commercial value on this specific market may become enormously greater than face value, even after use. For some postal services the sale of stamps to collectors who will never use them is a significant source of revenue; for example, stamps from Tokelau, South Georgia & South Sandwich Islands, Tristan da Cunha, Niuafoʻou and many others. Stamp collecting is commonly known as [[philately]], although strictly the latter term refers to the study of stamps.

Another form of collecting regards [[postcard]]s, a document written on a single robust sheet of paper, usually decorated with photographic pictures or artistic drawings on one of the sides, and short messages on a small part of the other side, that also contained the space for the address. In strict philatelic usage, the postcard is to be distinguished from the [[postal card]], which has a pre-printed postage on the card. The fact that this communication is visible by other than the receiver often causes the messages to be written in [[jargon]].

Letters are often studied as an example of literature, and also in biography in the case of a famous person. A portion of the [[New Testament]] of the [[Bible]] is composed of the [[Apostle Paul]]'s [[epistle]]s to Christian congregations in various parts of the Roman Empire. See below for a list of famous letters.

A style of writing, called ''[[epistolary novel|epistolary]],'' tells a fictional story in the form of the correspondence between two or more characters.

A makeshift mail method after stranding on a deserted island is a [[message in a bottle]].

=== Deregulation ===

[[File:Mailboxes.jpg|thumb|In the United States, private companies, such as [[FedEx Corporation|FedEx]] and [[United Parcel Service|UPS]], compete with the federal government's [[United States Postal Service]], particularly for [[package delivery]]. Different mailboxes are also provided for local and express service. (The USPS has a [[legal monopoly]] on [[#First-Class|First Class]] and Standard Mail delivery.)]]
Numerous countries, including Sweden (1 January 1993),<ref>[http://www.citymail.se/Startsida_68.asp?meny=OmCityMail&bMeny=Om+CityMail City Mail, Sweden] {{webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20050730091452/http://www.citymail.se/Startsida_68.asp?meny=OmCityMail&bMeny=Om+CityMail |date=2005-07-30 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cato.org/pubs/journal/cj13n1/cj13n1-5.pdf |title=Frycklund, Jonas "Private Mail in Sweden", ''Cato Journal'' Vol. 13, No. 1 (1993) |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070129050905/http://www.cato.org/pubs/journal/cj13n1/cj13n1-5.pdf |archive-date=2007-01-29 }}&nbsp;{{small|(511&nbsp;KB)}}</ref> New Zealand (1998 and 2003), Germany (2005 and 2007), [[Argentina]] and [[Chile]] opened up the postal services market to new entrants. In the case of [[New Zealand Post|New Zealand Post Limited]], this included (from 2003) its right to be the sole New Zealand postal administration member of the [[Universal Postal Union]], thus the ending of its monopoly on stamps bearing the name New Zealand.

== Types ==

=== Letters ===
[[File:Pillarboxes.jpg|thumb|[[Pillar boxes]] on the island of [[Madeira]], Portugal. (1st class mail in blue and 2nd class in red)]]
Letter-sized mail constitutes the bulk of the contents sent through most postal services. These are usually documents printed on [[A4 paper size|A4]] (210×297&nbsp;mm), [[Letter (paper size)|Letter-sized]] (8.5×11&nbsp;inches), or smaller paper and placed in envelopes.

Handwritten correspondence, while once a major means of communications between distant people, is now used less frequently<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://hbr.org/2013/04/handwritten-notes-are-a-rare-c|title=Handwritten Notes Are a Rare Commodity. They're Also More Important Than Ever.|last=Coleman|first=John|date=2013-04-05|work=Harvard Business Review|access-date=2019-05-29|issn=0017-8012|archive-date=2019-05-29|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190529183942/https://hbr.org/2013/04/handwritten-notes-are-a-rare-c|url-status=live}}</ref><!-- Is that true *worldwide*? --> due to the advent of more immediate forms of communication, such as the telephone or email. Traditional letters, however, are often considered to hark back to a "simpler time" and are still used when someone wishes to be deliberate and thoughtful about their communication. An example would be a letter of sympathy to a bereaved person.

Bills and invoices are often sent through the mail, like regular billing correspondence from [[Public utility|utility]] companies and other service providers. These letters often contain a self-addressed envelope that allows the receiver to remit payment back to the company easily. While still very common, many people now opt to use online bill payment services, which eliminate the need to receive bills through the mail. Paperwork for the confirmation of large financial transactions is often sent through the mail. Many tax documents are as well.

New [[credit cards]] and their corresponding [[personal identification numbers]] are sent to their owners through the mail. The card and number are usually mailed separately several days or weeks apart for security reasons.

[[Bulk mail]] is mail that is prepared for bulk mailing, often by [[presort]]ing, and processing at reduced rates. It is often used in [[direct marketing]] and other [[advertising mail]], although it has other uses as well. The senders of these messages sometimes purchase lists of addresses (which are sometimes targeted towards certain [[demographics]]) and then send letters advertising their product or service to all recipients. Other times, commercial solicitations are sent by local companies advertising local products, like a [[restaurant]] delivery service advertising to their delivery area or a [[retail]] store sending their weekly advertising circular to a general area. Bulk mail is also often sent to companies' existing subscriber bases, advertising new products or services.

==== First-Class ====

'''First-Class Mail''' in the U.S. includes postcards, letters, large envelopes (flats), and small packages, providing each piece weighs {{convert|13|oz}} or less. Delivery is given priority over second-class ([[newspaper]]s and [[magazine]]s), third class (bulk advertisements), and fourth-class mail (books and media packages). First-Class Mail prices are based on both the shape and weight of the item being mailed. Pieces over 13 ounces can be sent as Priority Mail.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.usps.com/ship/first-class.htm |title=First-Class Mail |publisher=USPS |access-date=2009-01-09 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111015214036/https://www.usps.com/ship/first-class.htm |archive-date=2011-10-15 }}</ref> As of 2011 42% of First-Class Mail arrived the next day, 27% in two days, and 31% in three. The USPS expected that changes to the service in 2012 would cause about 51% to arrive in two days and most of the rest in three.<ref name="cbs20111205">{{cite news | url=http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-201_162-57336477/postal-service-cuts-mean-slower-mail-in-2012/ | title=Postal service cuts mean slower mail in 2012 | work=CBS News | date=2011-12-05 | agency=Associated Press | access-date=8 July 2013 | url-status=live | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131008095219/http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-201_162-57336477/postal-service-cuts-mean-slower-mail-in-2012/ | archive-date=8 October 2013 }}</ref> 
The Canada Post counterpart is Lettermail.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.canadapost.ca/tools/pg/manual/PGletterml-e.asp|title=Lettermail|publisher=Canada Post|access-date=2018-04-22|archive-date=2018-04-23|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180423033929/https://www.canadapost.ca/tools/pg/manual/PGletterml-e.asp|url-status=live}}</ref> 

The British Royal Mail's 1st Class, as it is styled, is simply a priority option over 2nd Class, at a slightly higher cost. Royal Mail aims (but does not guarantee) to deliver all 1st Class letters the day after posting.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.royalmail.com/personal/sending-mail|title=Sending Mail|publisher=Royal Mail|access-date=2018-04-22|archive-date=2018-04-23|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180423033735/https://www.royalmail.com/personal/sending-mail|url-status=live}}</ref>

In Austria priority delivery mail is called Prio, in Switzerland A-Post.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.post.ch/en/sending-letters/domestic-letters |title=Comparison of services |publisher=Swiss Post |access-date=2022-05-31 |archive-date=2022-05-29 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220529115803/https://www.post.ch/en/sending-letters/domestic-letters |url-status=live }}</ref>

====Registered and recorded mail====<!-- [[Recorded mail]], [[Recorded delivery]], and [[Registered post]] redirect here -->
{{Further|Registered mail}}
[[File:CoverCrete1914.jpg|thumb|Multi-franked registered mail from Crete using Greek stamps during the [[Cretan State#Union with Greece|Union with Greece]] to Egypt in 1914 showing numbered registration label]]
Registered mail allows the location and in particular the correct delivery of a letter to be tracked. It is usually considerably more expensive than regular mail, and is typically used for valuable items. Registered mail is constantly tracked through the system.

Recorded mail is handled just like ordinary mail with the exception that it has to be signed for on receipt. This is useful for legal documents where proof of delivery is required.

In the United Kingdom recorded delivery mail (branded as ''signed for'' by the Royal Mail) is covered by ''The Recorded Delivery Services Act 1962''. Under this legislation any document which its relevant law requires service by registered post<ref>for example documents served under The Law of Property Act 1925</ref> can also be lawfully served by recorded delivery.

==== Repositionable notes ====

The [[United States Postal Service]] introduced a test allowing "repositionable notes" (for example, 3M's [[Post-it notes]]) to be attached to the outside of envelopes and bulk mailings,<ref>{{cite web|title=Postal Service Helps Businesses "Stick" to their Message |date=2005-04-05 |url=http://www.usps.com/communications/news/press/2005/pr05_028.htm |access-date=2007-07-17 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070929150726/http://www.usps.com/communications/news/press/2005/pr05_028.htm |archive-date=2007-09-29 }}</ref> afterwards extending the test for an unspecified period.<ref>{{cite web|title=Marketing 'Notes' Extended for Additional Year: U.S. Postal Service Governors Issue Decision on Repositionable Notes |date=2007-07-06 |url=http://www.usps.com/communications/newsroom/2007/pr07_055.htm |access-date=2007-07-17 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070711153055/http://www.usps.com/communications/newsroom/2007/pr07_055.htm |archive-date=2007-07-11 }}</ref> The repositionable note may be fixed directly to the address side of First-Class Mail and Standard Mail letter-size mailpieces. These mailpieces must meet the standards in 7.2 through 7.6. The note is included as an integral part of the mailpiece for weight and postage rate and must be accounted for in pricing.

=== Postal cards and postcards ===

[[Postal card]]s and [[postcard]]s are small message cards that are sent by mail unenveloped; the distinction often, though not invariably and reliably, drawn between them is that "postal cards" are issued by the postal authority or entity with the "postal indicia" (or "stamp") preprinted on them, while postcards are privately issued and require affixing an adhesive stamp (though there have been some cases of a postal authority's issuing non-stamped postcards). Postcards are often printed to promote tourism, with pictures of resorts, tourist attractions or humorous messages on the front and allowing for a short message from the sender to be written on the back. The postage required for postcards is generally less than postage required for standard letters; however, certain technicalities such as their being oversized or having cut-outs,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://members.aol.com/raustin13/modernph/pc14due.html |title=Cut-Out Postcard – Postage Due |publisher=Members.aol.com |access-date=2008-10-24 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060309065646/http://members.aol.com/raustin13/modernph/pc14due.html |archive-date=2006-03-09 }}</ref> may result in payment of the first-class rate being required.

Postcards are also used by [[magazine]]s for new subscriptions. Inside many magazines are postage-paid subscription cards that a reader can fill out and mail back to the publishing company to be billed for a subscription to the magazine. In this fashion, magazines also use postcards for other purposes, including reader surveys, contests or information requests.

Postcards are sometimes sent by [[charities]] to their members with a message to be signed and sent to a politician (e.g. to promote [[fair trade]] or [[third world debt]] cancellation).

=== Other mail services ===
[[File:US mail letterbox.jpg|thumb|This antique "letter-box" style U.S. mailbox is both on display and in use at the [[Smithsonian Institution Building]].]]

[[Small packet]]s are usually less than 2&nbsp;kg (4 lb).

Larger envelopes are also sent through the mail. These are often composed of a stronger material than standard envelopes and are often used by businesses to transport documents that may not be folded or damaged, such as legal documents and contracts. Due to their size, larger envelopes are sometimes charged additional postage.

Packages are often sent through some postal services, usually requiring additional postage than an average letter or postcard. Many postal services have limitations as to what a package may or may not contain, usually placing limits or bans on perishable, hazardous or flammable materials. Some hazardous materials in limited quantities may be shipped with appropriate markings and packaging, like an [[ORM-D]] label. Additionally, as a result of [[terrorism]] concerns, the U.S. Postal Service subjects their packages to numerous security tests, often scanning or [[x-ray]]ing packages for materials that might be found in biological materials or [[mail bomb]]s.

[[Newspapers]] and [[magazine]]s are also sent through postal services. Many magazines are simply placed in the mail normally (but in the U.S., they are printed with a special bar code that acts as pre-paid postage – see [[POSTNET]]), but many are now shipped in [[shrinkwrap]] to protect the loose contents of the magazine. During the second half of the 19th century and the first half of the 20th century, newspapers and magazines were normally posted using [[Wrapper (philately)|wrappers]] with a stamp imprint.

[[Hybrid mail]], sometimes referred to as [[L-mail]], is the [[Lodgement (finance)|electronic lodgement]] of mail from the mail generator's computer directly to a Postal Service provider. The Postal Service provider is then able to use electronic means to have the mail piece sorted, routed and physically produced at a site closest to the delivery point. It is a type of mail growing in popularity with some Post Office operations and individual businesses venturing into this market. In some countries, these services are available to print and deliver emails to those who are unable to receive [[email]], such as the elderly or infirm. Services provided by Hybrid mail providers are closely related to that of [[mail forwarding]] service providers.

== See also ==
*See [[:Category:Postal organizations|Category Postal organizations]], examples being:
** [[Deutsche Post DHL Group]], Germany
** [[La Poste (France)]]
** [[Poste Italiane]], Italy
** [[Royal Mail]], British
*** [[Post Office Limited]], British
** [[United States Postal Service]]

{{div col|colwidth=30em}}
* [[Express mail]]
* [[EPPML]]
* [[Parcel (package)]]
* [[Shipping insurance]]
* [[Universal Postal Union]]
* [[List of postal entities]]
{{div col end}}

Components of a postal system:
{{div col|colwidth=30em}}
* [[Fire sign (address)]]
* [[Letter box]]
* [[Mail carrier]]
* [[Mail bag]]
* [[Mail train (disambiguation)|Mail train]]
* [[Packstation]]
* [[Post box]]
* [[Post office]]
* [[Post-office box]]
* [[Postage rate (disambiguation)|Postage rate]]
* [[Postal code]]
{{div col end}}

== Notes ==
{{Reflist}}

== Further reading ==
* {{cite book
| last = Aiyangar | first = Sakkottai Krishnaswami |author2=S. Krishnaswami A.
| title = Ancient India: Collected Essays on the Literary and Political History of Southern India
| publisher = Asian Educational Services | year = 2004
| isbn = 978-0-8018-8359-0}}
* {{cite book
| last = Almási | first = Gábor
| title = Humanistic Letter-Writing
| publisher = [[Institute of European History]]
| location = Mainz | year = 2010
| url = http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:0159-20101011147
}}
* {{cite book
| last = Dorn | first = Harold |author2=MacClellan, James E.
| title = Science and Technology in World History: An Introduction
| publisher = Johns Hopkins University Press
| year = 2006 | isbn = 978-0-8018-8359-0}}
* Daunton, M. J. ''Royal Mail: The Post Office Since 1840'' (Athlone, 1985), Great Britain.
* {{cite book |last1=Heaton |first1=J. Henniker |author-link=John Henniker Heaton|title=The Empire and the century |publisher=John Murray |location=London |pages=288–317 |chapter=[[s:The Empire and the century/Imperial Postal Services|Imperial Postal Services]]|year=1905}}
* Hemmeon, Joseph Clarence. ''The history of the British post office'' (Harvard University Press, 1912) [https://archive.org/download/bub_gb_DMhAAAAAIAAJ/bub_gb_DMhAAAAAIAAJ.pdf online].
* John, Richard R. ''Spreading the News: The American Postal System from Franklin to Morse'' (1995) [https://www.amazon.com/Spreading-News-American-Postal-Franklin/dp/0674833422 excerpt]
*  Le Roux, Muriel, et al. eds. ''A Concise History of the French Post Office: From Its Origins to the Present Time'' (2018)   

* {{cite book
| author = Lowe, Robson | author-link = Robson Lowe
| title = Encyclopedia of British Empire Postage Stamps (v. III)
| location = London
| year = 1951
}}
* {{cite book
| last = Mazumdar
| first = Mohini Lal
| title = The Imperial Post Offices of British India
| publisher = Phila Publications
| location = Calcutta
| year = 1990}}
* {{cite book
| last =Mote | first =Frederick W. |author2=John K. Fairbank
| title =The Cambridge History of China
| publisher =Cambridge University Press | year = 1998
| isbn = 978-0-521-24333-9}}
* {{cite book
| last = Prasad | first =Prakash Chandra
| title = Foreign Trade and Commerce in Ancient India
| publisher = Abhinav Publications | year = 2003
| isbn = 978-81-7017-053-2}}

== External links ==

{{wikiquote}}
{{Wiktionary|mail|post}}
{{Wikivoyage|Postal service}}
{{Commons category|Post}}
* [https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/27688 ''A Hundred Years by Post''] by J. Wilson Hyde
* Potts, Albert, "''{{US patent|19578|US19,578}} (First U.S. street mailbox patent)''". [[US patent office]]. 1858
* [http://www.postalheritage.org.uk The British Postal Museum & Archive]
* [http://thurn-taxis.com ''From Thurn & Taxis to Phone Book of the World - 7 centuries of Telecom History''] 
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20061218200955/http://www.remuseum.org.uk/rem_his_special.htm#pcs Royal Engineers Museum] British Army Postal Services History
* James Meek, ''[[London Review of Books]]'', 28 April 2011, [http://www.lrb.co.uk/v33/n09/james-meek/in-the-sorting-office In the Sorting Office], 33(9)
* [http://www.postalmuseum.si.edu/ U.S. National Postal Museum], a part of the [[Smithsonian Institution]]
* [http://www.upu.int Universal Postal Union], a part of the United Nations

{{Postal system|state=expanded}}
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{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Postal systems| ]]