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Add love letters app with Project Gutenberg sources

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Python app that downloads and displays random historic love letters from
five authentic collections on Project Gutenberg:

- Henry VIII to Anne Boleyn (c. 1527-1528)
- Mary Wollstonecraft to Gilbert Imlay (1793-1795)
- Abelard & Heloise (12th century)
- Napoleon Bonaparte to Josephine (1796-1812)
- John Keats to Fanny Brawne (1819-1820)

Features: local caching, source filtering, multi-letter display,
text wrapping, and long letter truncation.

Co-authored-by: Copilot <223556219+Copilot@users.noreply.github.com>
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Ibraheem Saleh 1 week ago
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# option (not recommended) you can uncomment the following to ignore the entire idea folder.
#.idea/
# Love Letters app cache
.letter_cache/

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README.md
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# letters
A Python app that displays random historic love letters from authentic sources, downloaded from [Project Gutenberg](https://www.gutenberg.org/).
## Usage
```bash
python3 love_letters.py # Show a random love letter
python3 love_letters.py -n 3 # Show 3 random love letters
python3 love_letters.py --list # List available collections
python3 love_letters.py --source keats_brawne # Filter by source
python3 love_letters.py --refresh # Re-download all sources
```
## Sources
| Collection | Author → Recipient | Period |
|---|---|---|
| The Love Letters of Henry VIII to Anne Boleyn | Henry VIII → Anne Boleyn | c. 1527–1528 |
| The Love Letters of Mary Wollstonecraft to Gilbert Imlay | Mary Wollstonecraft → Gilbert Imlay | 1793–1795 |
| Letters of Abelard and Heloise | Abelard & Heloise → each other | 12th century |
| Napoleon's Letters to Josephine | Napoleon Bonaparte → Josephine | 1796–1812 |
| Letters of John Keats to Fanny Brawne | John Keats → Fanny Brawne | 1819–1820 |
All texts are sourced from [Project Gutenberg](https://www.gutenberg.org/) and are in the public domain.
## Requirements
Python 3.10+ (no external dependencies). An internet connection is required on first run to download the letter collections; they are cached locally after that.

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love_letters.py
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#!/usr/bin/env python3
"""
Love Letters — Display random historic love letters from Project Gutenberg.
Sources:
• Henry VIII to Anne Boleyn (c. 1527–1528)
• Mary Wollstonecraft to Gilbert Imlay (1793–1795)
• Letters of Abelard and Heloise (12th century)
• Napoleon Bonaparte to Josephine (1796–1812)
• John Keats to Fanny Brawne (1819–1820)
"""
import json
import os
import random
import re
import sys
import textwrap
import urllib.request
CACHE_DIR = os.path.join(os.path.dirname(os.path.abspath(__file__)), ".letter_cache")
SOURCES = [
{
"id": "henry_viii",
"title": "The Love Letters of Henry VIII to Anne Boleyn",
"author": "Henry VIII",
"recipient": "Anne Boleyn",
"year": "c. 1527–1528",
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/32155/pg32155.txt",
"gutenberg_id": 32155,
},
{
"id": "wollstonecraft",
"title": "The Love Letters of Mary Wollstonecraft to Gilbert Imlay",
"author": "Mary Wollstonecraft",
"recipient": "Gilbert Imlay",
"year": "1793–1795",
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/34413/pg34413.txt",
"gutenberg_id": 34413,
},
{
"id": "abelard_heloise",
"title": "Letters of Abelard and Heloise",
"author": "Abelard & Heloise",
"recipient": "each other",
"year": "12th century",
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/35977/pg35977.txt",
"gutenberg_id": 35977,
},
{
"id": "napoleon",
"title": "Napoleon's Letters to Josephine",
"author": "Napoleon Bonaparte",
"recipient": "Josephine",
"year": "1796–1812",
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/37499/pg37499.txt",
"gutenberg_id": 37499,
},
{
"id": "keats_brawne",
"title": "Letters of John Keats to Fanny Brawne",
"author": "John Keats",
"recipient": "Fanny Brawne",
"year": "1819–1820",
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/60433/pg60433.txt",
"gutenberg_id": 60433,
},
]
SEPARATOR = "─" * 60
def download_text(url: str) -> str:
"""Download a plain-text file from Project Gutenberg."""
req = urllib.request.Request(url, headers={"User-Agent": "LoveLettersApp/1.0"})
with urllib.request.urlopen(req, timeout=30) as resp:
return resp.read().decode("utf-8", errors="replace")
def strip_gutenberg_header_footer(text: str) -> str:
"""Remove the Project Gutenberg header and footer boilerplate."""
start_markers = [
"*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK",
"*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK",
"***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK",
]
end_markers = [
"*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK",
"*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK",
"***END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK",
"End of the Project Gutenberg EBook",
"End of Project Gutenberg",
]
for marker in start_markers:
idx = text.find(marker)
if idx != -1:
text = text[idx + len(marker) :]
nl = text.find("\n")
if nl != -1:
text = text[nl + 1 :]
break
for marker in end_markers:
idx = text.find(marker)
if idx != -1:
text = text[:idx]
break
return text.strip()
# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
# Per-source letter extraction
# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
def extract_henry_viii(text: str) -> list[dict]:
"""Extract individual letters from the Henry VIII collection."""
text = strip_gutenberg_header_footer(text)
text = text.replace("\r\n", "\n")
# Letters use written-out ordinals: "Letter First", "Letter Second", etc.
parts = re.split(
r"\n{2,}(?=Letter\s+(?:First|Second|Third|Fourth|Fifth|Sixth|Seventh|"
r"Eighth|Ninth|Tenth|Eleventh|Twelfth|Thirteenth|Fourteenth|"
r"Fifteenth|Sixteenth|Seventeenth|Eighteenth)\b)",
text,
)
letters = []
for part in parts:
part = part.strip()
if not part or len(part) < 80:
continue
m = re.match(r"(Letter\s+\w+)(?:\s+.*?)?\n", part, re.IGNORECASE)
if not m:
continue
heading = m.group(1)
body = part[m.end():].strip()
# Remove notes section at the end
notes_idx = body.find("\nNotes\n")
if notes_idx == -1:
notes_idx = body.find("\nNOTES\n")
if notes_idx != -1:
body = body[:notes_idx].strip()
author = "Henry VIII"
recipient = "Anne Boleyn"
if "Anne Boleyn to Wolsey" in part[:200] or "Boleyn to" in part[:200]:
author = "Anne Boleyn"
recipient = "Cardinal Wolsey"
if len(body) > 50:
letters.append({
"heading": heading,
"body": body,
"author": author,
"recipient": recipient,
"source": "The Love Letters of Henry VIII to Anne Boleyn",
"period": "c. 1527–1528",
})
return letters
def extract_wollstonecraft(text: str) -> list[dict]:
"""Extract individual letters from the Wollstonecraft collection."""
text = strip_gutenberg_header_footer(text)
text = text.replace("\r\n", "\n")
parts = re.split(r"\n{2,}(?=LETTER\s+[IVXLC0-9]+\.?\s*\n)", text, flags=re.IGNORECASE)
letters = []
for part in parts:
part = part.strip()
if not part or len(part) < 80:
continue
m = re.match(r"(LETTER\s+[IVXLC0-9]+\.?)\s*\n", part, re.IGNORECASE)
heading = m.group(1) if m else ""
body = part[m.end():].strip() if m else part
if len(body) > 50:
letters.append({
"heading": heading,
"body": body,
"author": "Mary Wollstonecraft",
"recipient": "Gilbert Imlay",
"source": "The Love Letters of Mary Wollstonecraft to Gilbert Imlay",
"period": "1793–1795",
})
return letters
def extract_abelard_heloise(text: str) -> list[dict]:
"""Extract individual letters from the Abelard & Heloise collection."""
text = strip_gutenberg_header_footer(text)
text = text.replace("\r\n", "\n")
parts = re.split(r"\n{2,}(?=LETTER\s+[IVXLC0-9]+[.:]?\s*\n)", text, flags=re.IGNORECASE)
letters = []
for part in parts:
part = part.strip()
if not part or len(part) < 120:
continue
m = re.match(r"(LETTER\s+[IVXLC0-9]+[.:]?)\s*\n", part, re.IGNORECASE)
if not m:
continue
heading = m.group(1)
body = part[m.end():].strip()
author = "Abelard & Heloise"
recipient = "each other"
lower = body[:300].lower()
if "heloise to abelard" in lower:
author = "Heloise"
recipient = "Abelard"
elif "abelard to heloise" in lower:
author = "Abelard"
recipient = "Heloise"
if len(body) > 50:
letters.append({
"heading": heading,
"body": body,
"author": author,
"recipient": recipient,
"source": "Letters of Abelard and Heloise",
"period": "12th century",
})
return letters
def extract_napoleon(text: str) -> list[dict]:
"""Extract individual letters from Napoleon's letters to Josephine."""
text = strip_gutenberg_header_footer(text)
text = text.replace("\r\n", "\n")
# Letters are headed "No. 1.", "No. 2.", etc. on their own line
parts = re.split(r"\n{2,}(?=No\.\s*\d+\.\s*\n)", text)
letters = []
for part in parts:
part = part.strip()
if not part or len(part) < 100:
continue
m = re.match(r"(No\.\s*\d+\.)\s*\n", part)
if not m:
continue
heading = m.group(1)
body = part[m.end():].strip()
# Skip table of contents entries (short lines with page numbers)
if len(body) < 80:
continue
letters.append({
"heading": heading,
"body": body,
"author": "Napoleon Bonaparte",
"recipient": "Josephine",
"source": "Napoleon's Letters to Josephine, 1796–1812",
"period": "1796–1812",
})
return letters
def extract_keats_brawne(text: str) -> list[dict]:
"""Extract individual letters from Keats to Fanny Brawne."""
text = strip_gutenberg_header_footer(text)
text = text.replace("\r\n", "\n")
# Letters are numbered with Roman numerals on their own line: "I.", "II.", etc.
parts = re.split(r"\n{2,}(?=[IVXLC]+\.\s*\n)", text)
letters = []
for part in parts:
part = part.strip()
if not part or len(part) < 100:
continue
m = re.match(r"([IVXLC]+)\.\s*\n", part)
if not m:
continue
heading = f"Letter {m.group(1)}"
body = part[m.end():].strip()
# Remove editorial footnotes in brackets
if len(body) > 50:
letters.append({
"heading": heading,
"body": body,
"author": "John Keats",
"recipient": "Fanny Brawne",
"source": "Letters of John Keats to Fanny Brawne",
"period": "1819–1820",
})
return letters
EXTRACTORS = {
"henry_viii": extract_henry_viii,
"wollstonecraft": extract_wollstonecraft,
"abelard_heloise": extract_abelard_heloise,
"napoleon": extract_napoleon,
"keats_brawne": extract_keats_brawne,
}
# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
# Caching
# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
def get_cache_path(source_id: str) -> str:
return os.path.join(CACHE_DIR, f"{source_id}.json")
def load_cached_letters(source_id: str) -> list[dict] | None:
path = get_cache_path(source_id)
if os.path.exists(path):
with open(path, "r", encoding="utf-8") as f:
return json.load(f)
return None
def save_cached_letters(source_id: str, letters: list[dict]) -> None:
os.makedirs(CACHE_DIR, exist_ok=True)
with open(get_cache_path(source_id), "w", encoding="utf-8") as f:
json.dump(letters, f, ensure_ascii=False, indent=2)
# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
# Main logic
# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
def fetch_and_parse(source: dict) -> list[dict]:
"""Download, extract, and cache letters for a given source."""
cached = load_cached_letters(source["id"])
if cached is not None:
return cached
print(f" Downloading: {source['title']}…", flush=True)
try:
raw = download_text(source["url"])
except Exception as e:
print(f" ⚠ Failed to download {source['title']}: {e}")
return []
extractor = EXTRACTORS.get(source["id"])
if extractor is None:
return []
letters = extractor(raw)
if letters:
save_cached_letters(source["id"], letters)
return letters
def load_all_letters() -> list[dict]:
"""Load letters from all sources, downloading as needed."""
all_letters: list[dict] = []
for source in SOURCES:
letters = fetch_and_parse(source)
all_letters.extend(letters)
return all_letters
def wrap_text(text: str, width: int = 78) -> str:
"""Word-wrap text while preserving paragraph breaks."""
paragraphs = re.split(r"\n\s*\n", text)
wrapped = []
for para in paragraphs:
para = " ".join(para.split())
wrapped.append(textwrap.fill(para, width=width))
return "\n\n".join(wrapped)
def truncate_letter(body: str, max_chars: int = 3000) -> str:
"""Truncate very long letters with an ellipsis note."""
if len(body) <= max_chars:
return body
truncated = body[:max_chars]
last_period = truncated.rfind(".")
if last_period > max_chars // 2:
truncated = truncated[: last_period + 1]
return truncated + "\n\n […letter continues…]"
def display_letter(letter: dict) -> None:
"""Pretty-print a single love letter to the terminal."""
print()
print(SEPARATOR)
print(f" ✉ {letter['author']} → {letter['recipient']}")
if letter.get("heading"):
print(f" {letter['heading']}")
print(f" ({letter['period']})")
print(SEPARATOR)
print()
body = truncate_letter(letter["body"])
print(wrap_text(body))
print()
print(SEPARATOR)
print(f" Source: {letter['source']}")
print(f" Via Project Gutenberg • gutenberg.org")
print(SEPARATOR)
print()
def list_sources() -> None:
"""Print available letter collections."""
print("\n Available collections:\n")
for i, src in enumerate(SOURCES, 1):
print(f" {i}. {src['title']}")
print(f" {src['author']} → {src['recipient']} ({src['year']})")
print(f" gutenberg.org/ebooks/{src['gutenberg_id']}")
print()
def main() -> None:
import argparse
parser = argparse.ArgumentParser(
description="Display random historic love letters from Project Gutenberg.",
formatter_class=argparse.RawDescriptionHelpFormatter,
epilog=textwrap.dedent("""\
examples:
%(prog)s Show a random love letter
%(prog)s -n 3 Show 3 random love letters
%(prog)s --list List available collections
%(prog)s --refresh Re-download all sources
"""),
)
parser.add_argument(
"-n", "--count", type=int, default=1, metavar="N",
help="number of letters to display (default: 1)",
)
parser.add_argument(
"--list", action="store_true",
help="list available letter collections",
)
parser.add_argument(
"--refresh", action="store_true",
help="clear cache and re-download all sources",
)
parser.add_argument(
"--source", type=str, metavar="ID",
choices=[s["id"] for s in SOURCES],
help="only show letters from a specific source",
)
args = parser.parse_args()
if args.list:
list_sources()
return
if args.refresh:
import shutil
if os.path.isdir(CACHE_DIR):
shutil.rmtree(CACHE_DIR)
print(" Cache cleared.")
print("\n 💌 Love Letters — loading collections…\n")
all_letters = load_all_letters()
if not all_letters:
print(" No letters could be loaded. Check your internet connection.")
sys.exit(1)
if args.source:
all_letters = [l for l in all_letters if any(
s["id"] == args.source and l["source"] == s["title"]
for s in SOURCES
)]
if not all_letters:
print(f" No letters found for source '{args.source}'.")
sys.exit(1)
count = min(args.count, len(all_letters))
chosen = random.sample(all_letters, count)
for letter in chosen:
display_letter(letter)
if __name__ == "__main__":
main()
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