Luck chain letter. A category of chain letters that appeal primarily to superstition to motivate replication. Also called "prayer" chain letters, but distinguished from the category of Letters from Heaven which appeal to religious piety. CLEVO Luck of London. A luck chain letter variation known from two collected examples [1944, 1945] and a mention by De Lys, (1948). Closely related to the prior Prosperity type, it had copy quota five, deadline twenty four hours and wait four days. De Lys said it had started during the blitz (1940-41) and was still circulating in North America and Europe in 1948. CLEVO Mainline. For English language luck chain letters, the sequence of types, commencing with Ancient Prayer, that have circulated abundantly at some time and which share much text in common with the prior mainline type. CLEVO Malabon. A city just north of Manila in the Philippines. According to a chain letter [US, 1984], the origin of a luck chain letter that has "spread throughout the world." Managed list. A list of prior senders (as on a luck, money or exchange chain letter) accompanied by an instruction to omit the first name and add the recipient's name last. First appears in our sample on a 1933 luck chain letter [US, 1933]. Media Chain Letter. A quota five luck chain letter, derived from the Luck by Mail type, which (1) instructs one to have a "secretary" make copies and (2) often has attached cover letters from prior senders. Its circulation began in 1989 - previously it was combined with the Play Golf office humor item. Example: [1990-10]. CLEVO Meme. As defined by Richard Dawkins in The Selfish Gene (1976): "a unit of cultural transmission, or a unit of imitation." "Examples of memes are tunes, ideas, catchphrases, clothes fashions, ways of making pots or of building arches. Just as genes propagate themselves in the gene pool by leaping from body to body via sperms or eggs, so memes propagate themselves in the meme pool by leaping from brain to brain via a process which, in the broad sense, can be called imitation." In this sense, chain letter components are memes. Money chain letter. A motivational category of chain letters that appeal to the recipient's desire for money. They urge that money be sent to one or more prior senders, claiming that the recipient will in turn receive a large sum of money. Example: [1935]. Origin Mrs. C. The unknown person, probably a married woman, who authored the Send-aDime letter in 1935, apparently for charitable purposes. According to Donald Wickets she consulted a Denver Attorney concerning the legality of the scheme. CLEVO Multilevel marketing. Various hierarchical systems of downline sales commissions, motivated by the hope for exponential feedback. Recruitment of sellers is more
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