How do I read the texdoc for the letter document class?

Question

I am reading the texdoc for the letter document class. But it doesn't say anything about getting started. I think this is a commented source code document. Yes, it lists all the features of the letter class, but it doesn't say anything about how to use them in practice. There is no tutorial or walkthrough or something similar. To illustrate what I mean:

This question is related to the one I asked about reading commented sources. I noticed that most documentation is in this form, which is rather frustrating. In contrast, the memoir and pgfmanual are superb examples of documentation.

Answer 1

As far as I know there is no user documentation for the letter class, just as there is no user documentation for the other standard LaTeX classes; users were expected, back in the day, to buy Lamport's book as a manual.

The letter class is generally considered sub-standard compared to the alternatives. Robin Fairbairn's FAQ answer on the matter lists the alternatives.