30 JULY 1932, Page 16

A SUPERFLUOUS HYPHEN

[To the Editor of the SPECTATOR.] SIR,—May I mention a small point in connexion with the review of my book, The Offing, which you were good enough to give me in your issue of July 16th ? Mr. L., A. 1G. Strong has chosen for his quotation what he considers one of the poorest passages. But he has made it very much worse by adding a hyphen which does not occur in the published text. I am afraid " the atmosphere of the cabin-like sacrilege " will have given your readers an unnecessarily bad impression of my work. Incidentally this unlucky fit of the misprints has spread even to my Christian name !—I am, Sir, &c., Tyn-y-ltiaes, Bethesda, North Wales. EDMUND VALE.