Instant Publishing
SIR,—Publishers are not 'incredibly dilatory' in producing books (Spectator's Notebook,' October 8). For instance, as long ago as 1957 we published Paul Johnson's The Suez War. With an artist-designed cover, a frontispiece by Vicky and an introduction by Aneurin Bevan, from delivery of the manuscript to the completed book took precisely sixteen days, including two days devoted to solving legal prob- lems. Victor Gollancz had done this kind of 'instant' publishing many years before.
Since that date we have on occasions done pre- cisely the same thing and, in fact, at the moment we have no fewer than four projects any of which, depending upon the political situation, could have
similar treatment. We do not claim to be exceptional, as indeed anyone seriously looking at the publishing industry can find many instances of this technique. R. G. DAVIS-POYNTER Managing Director MacGibbon and Kee Ltd., 9 Grape Street, WC2
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