Personal ads - men and women of all ages, backgrounds and aspirations, laying their souls bare and their hearts on the line - are the modern world's equivalent of the Japanese haiku...or something like that, anyway. Painstakingly crafted, finely honed and, above all, short, they offer an endearing, intriguing and, often, amusing glimpse into the lives of those looking for love. Amid the witty one-liners and laugh-out-punchlines, there is pathos and passion aplenty; there is hope, longing and even good old-fashioned lust; there is romance, regret, ambition, and, occasionally, a hint of bitterness. Whatever the tone, however, these ads make for engrossing reading. Organized into themes ('Mentally, I'm a size eight' and 'Forty years ago I was going to marry Elvis') and fully annotated, "Sexually, I'm more of a Switzerland" is the perfect gift for the man or woman in your life - as well as single friends everywhere. 'Woman, 36. WLTM man who doesn't try to high-five her after sex'.
David Rose works at the New York office of the London Review of Books and has complied the LRB personal ads for over ten years.
