For some correspondence chess is just enjoyable or it may be that they are theorists who enjoy searching for objective truth no matter where it leads. Finding the right move in the allotted time of over-the-board play can be difficult and it may spoil the enjoyment of their quest for perfection. A few have excelled in both OTB and correspondence play though.
According to Harry Golombek in his Encyclopedia of Chess, the earliest correspondence game was reputedly played between Henry I of England and Louis VI of France. He also lists Catherine the Great of Russia, Frederick the Great of Prussia, and Voltaire as other famous correspondence players. However, the earliest correspondence games for which the moves were recorded took place in 1804 and were between F. W. de Mauvillion of Breda and an officer at The Hague.
In correspondence play assistance including books, databases and sometimes chess programs are often allowed. Books and databases are almost universally acceptable, but organizations (and players!) vary as to whether chess engine use is acceptable..
Most OTB players have never taken correspondence players very seriously. I remember one incident in pre-engine days in which free entry into an OTB tournament was offered to masters and when a correspondence master tried to enter he was denied the free entry. The tournament director's opinion, correct I think even before engines, was that an OTB master and a correspondence master are not the same thing.
And, some time in the late 1960s I had a correspondence game published in Chess Review that was annotated by John W. Collins. Ego deflation came when I went to the chess club and only one guy out of about 40 had seen it. "Nice game," he said.
I started postal play in the Correspondence Chess League of America, but eventually switched to Al Horowitz' Chess Review. It's amusing how Horowitz posted the results of the tournaments in the magazine.
In Chess Review's reporting of postal game results players didn't just win, lose or draw or get a coldblooded 1, 0 or 1/2. No, players got beat, topped, hit, downed, halted, jolted, felled, ripped, licked, mauled, overcome, etc. Often the result rhymed with one of the players' names. 
Here's a sharp postal game from a Chess Review tournament that was played back in 1952. When looking over those old games it must be remembered that most of them were played by non-masters and the only assistance available in the early days was Reuben Fine's Practical Chess Openings and later Modern Chess Openings. These books were so popular that almost all the published games had the PCO or MCO page, column and note reference listed at the beginning of the game.
In the following game enjoy watching Moore get mauled by Newlander.
Robert Moore–Roger Newlander0–1C55Chess Review Postal Tmt1952Stockfish 14.1
Two Knights Defense 1.e4 Chess Review noted that this opening line was
given in Fine's Practical Chess Openings on page 456, column 39, note j. e5 2.f3 c6 3.c4 f6 Inviting white to attack f7 with 4.Ng5. If white accepts
the offer, the game quickly takes on a tactical character: 4.0-0 4.Ng5
leads to more interesting play. xe4 While not as popular as the much more
common 4...Bc5 this move has result in considerably more success for black.
Also playable is the somewhat drawish 4...Be7 5.e1 The main book line is 5.
Nc3, but the best move is 5.Bd5. The logical looking move played is inferior. 5.d5 is better. f6 6.xc6 dxc6 7.xe5 with equal chances. 5...d5 6.b5 c5 7.d4 exd4 8.xd4 0-0 This has all been played many times and black
is, according to the engines, winning by a wide margin. Even so, white's next
move is very bad. 9.xc6 Unlike in checkers, in chess capture are not
obligatory. 9.c3 was his best move, but black gets a terrific position
after h4 10.f1 d6 11.g3 h3 12.e2 f6 13.d2 g4 14.xg4 xg4 15.f3 d7 White, in addition to being a P down, has a very passive position. 9...xf2 Collins comment sums it up - Real sharp! It wins. 10.d2 10.xf2
is refuted by f6+ Equally good was 10...Qh5+ 11.g1 xd4+ 11...xd4+ 12.h1 bxc6 13.f1 g4 14.d3 e5 Here, too, black has a won position, but
it's not quite so good as capturing with the Q. 12.xd4 xd4+ 13.h1 bxc6 14.d2 f5 15.c3 b6 Black has a strategically won position. 10...e4 11.d3 11.xe4 Sacrificing the exchange won't do. dxe4 12.c3 bxc6 Black is
winning. 11...h4 This is even stronger than taking the B. 12.g3 12.f1 This isn't really any better. bxc6 13.e3 d6 14.f3 h5 15.c3 e8
and here, too, black has a strategically won position. 12...xg3 Of course!
13.xd5 13.xg3 xg3+ 14.hxg3 xd4+ 15.e3 xb2 wraps it up. 13.hxg3 xd4+ 14.e3 xg3+ 15.f1 f3+ 16.g1 h3 17.d2 fe8 18.xe8 xe8 19.f2 g4+ 20.h1 g2+ 21.xg2 h4+ 22.h2 xe1+ wins. It's mate in 16! 13...xd4+ 14.e3 14.g2 h3+ 15.f3 g4# 14...f5 Threatening ...
Qxe1+ and the B on e3. White has no hope. 15.c3 xe3 16.xe3 g4+ 17.h1 17.f2 f4+ also wins. 17...xe3 White resigned. Black's R and 2 Ps are
just too much to fight against. Moore got mauled. 0–1
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