Love Tony Palmer
Sir: I do not know who Richard Williams is, nor indeed who he thinks he is. But the only effect his review (4 December) of Tony Palmer's book All You Need Is Love had on me was to make me rush out and buy it. And now, having read it through at one long sit ting, I feel I must write and complain about the absurd and childish tone of Williams's review. To begin with, he attacks Palmer for making all kinds of assertions that Palmer does not make; he accuses Palmer of claim ing as original numerous truths which in fact Palmer is at pains to indicate are merely his interpretation of information for too long concealed from most of us; and he dismisses Palmer's theories as arrogance.
To justify his petulance, Williams offers.: what ? Not a scrap of evidence. Whereas It
is very clear from the scholarly tone of TonY Palmer's book that a mountain of research has gone into the most insignificant asser tion. Clearly, Williams does not enjoY being confronted by scholarship for the simple reason that it will expose his ignor ance and/or his prejudices. Perhaps this is the book which Williams himself would like to have written, although judging from the literary style of his review, I am glad he didn't.
I have never met Palmer, although I know his work on television and in print. And I can tell you that it has given me enormous pleasure, even when I thought he was palpably wrong.
James Higgins 74 City Rd., Newcastle upon Tyne
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