My words
From Mr Alistair Horne Sir: D.J. Taylor's article CA true ghost story', 21 October) leaves me wondering whether to laugh or howl. It has to be one of the season's feats of unprovoked silli- ness, but it also seems to me gratuitously offensive, and highly damaging, to Peter James, and, by implication, to those authors whom he is alleged to 'ghost', of whom I am one.
Peter James has edited my last five books, and is currently working on my lat- est, Seven Ages of Paris. He has in the past, invaluably, suggested cuts and transposi- tions, saved me from foolish solecisms and generally imposed order on a messy MS. But I write every word.
Had he indeed `ghosted' me, I would have been able to publish several more books in the time; possibly they would have been bet-
LETTERS
ter written — certainly I would have been a good deal richer than I am.
Peter James happens to be just about the best editor I have come across in 40-odd years of writing; I am sure his other authors would willingly pass a similar judgment.
It also occurs to me that, had The Specta- tor really understood the importance of editing, High Life in that same issue might have been prevented from repeatedly mis- spelling `Stendahl' [sic] — thereby saving `the poor little Greek boy' from the humili- ation of sounding as if he were not all that familiar with his supposed 'greatest' book.
Alistair Home
Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire
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