Chicago Tribune review: Devin Leonard, in his delectably readable book, “Neither Snow nor Rain: A History of the United States Postal Service,” answers every question you can think of — and quite a few that never occurred to you — in his survey of how the USPS came into being. He has a zesty prose style, a great sense of humor, a fine eye for the telling anecdote and a lucid way of unraveling some of the controversies and challenges our postal service has faced in its 224 years of existence.  Leonard’s account offers surprises on almost every other page, starting with the fact that no one used stamps during the first 60 years of its existence. (Mail recipients paid the postage due upon receipt of their mail.) Some parents sent their children through the mail when parcel post was launched in 1913 because it was cheaper than a train ticket, and politicians abused their free mailing privileges by sending dirty laundry home to be washed.  Read more.