Evans English
Sir: So eager is Auberon Waugh to rap the knuckles of Harold Evans in his review (27 May) of thelatter's series of books that he ends up making an ass of himself. I'm not going to repeat the sentences referred to, or give any precis of the 'great issues', but let us take the last sentence complained of: 'The series did begin as one book', Mr. Waugh blasts this on the grounds that 'the simple past historic "began" should be preferred to the compound auxiliary form' and substitutes his own sentence: 'The series began as one book, but . . . '
How could the series have begun as one book when the intention to write only ane book was in the author's mind when he started? Evans probably sensed the trap and tried to jolt over it with this 'compound auxiliary' stuff, but Waugh fell right in. M. O'Callaghan.
31 Terenure Road North, Dublin
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