Sir: It was the late Frank Zappa who char- acterised
the conductors of interviews with rock 'n' roll stars as 'people who can't write presenting people who can't talk to people who can't read'.
As to Sinatra being 'surely the one croon- er-actor-whatever of his era whose name will live beyond his lifetime', the names and voices/acts of Louis Armstrong, Bing Cros- by, Billie Holiday, Nat 'King' Cole, Ella Fitzgerald, Maurice Chevalier, Vera Lynn, Dietrich, Piaf and several others are just as sure to do so.
It seems unpersuasive of a book review which takes its subject to task for inexacti- tude to close by claiming that 'the wretched man is asking for 20 quid of your money'. Surely Mr Hensher knows that it is publish- ers, not authors, who set prices — and that £20 is pretty standard for this size of show- biz tome.
Michael Horovitz
29c Colville Terrace, London W11
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