24 DECEMBER 1988, Page 55

Do not be put off

Sir: Please do not be put off (Another voice, 29 October) by Mr Neal Ascherson's low regard for The Spectator, and its value to those who live abroad (Observer, 23 October).

For some people who have already left LETTERS 'this introverted, snobbish little province' (by which I assume he means England), the principal purpose of subscribing is to stay in touch with news and trends there, and to miss as little as possible of its 'chronicle of local gossip and taste'.

Another important consideration is that without first reading The Spectator one would be unable to understand most of the jokes and references in Private Eye. William Leigh-Pemberton

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