Horace Walpole turns to the letters and argues that: Walpole's numerous letters are often used as a historical resource. In one, dating from 28 January 1754, he coined the word serendipity which he said was derived from a "silly fairy tale" he had read, "The Three Princes of Serendip". The oft-quoted epigram, "This world is a comedy to those that think, a tragedy to those that feel", is from a letter of Walpole's to Anne, Countess of Ossory, on 16 August 1776. The original, fuller version appeared in a letter to Sir Horace Mann on 31 December 1769: "I have often said,
For the Term of His Natural Life the Term of His Natural Life" was adapted for the stage by Charles MacMahon prior to 1903, with which the Majeroni dramatic company toured New Zealand and some States of Australia in 1903 and 1904, starring George Majeroni as Dawes, and Mario Majeroni as Rae. MacMahon also used the novel as the basis for one of the first full-length motion picture films, produced in Australia in 1908 (22 minutes).There was another version in 1911, "The Life of Rufus Dawes", based on Alfred Dampier's popular stage adaptation of the novel. The best-known film version came in 1927, featuring silent screen stars