29 SEPTEMBER 1990, Page 33

Twaddledum, twaddledee

Sir: It is a great day for academic prestige when the publicity manager of the Yale University Press (Letters, 8 September) considers herself incapable of writing twad- dle simply because she has a Ph.D. in English history, and has written reviews in various journals. And it is even funnier that the good doctor should excuse herself further on the grounds that the twaddle complained of was written by someone else, and only signed by her. Publicity, publicity, there's nothing like publicity. John Jolliffe

Church House, Chesterblade, Shepton Mallet, Somerset