Dear Mary…
Q. What is the correct attitude to strike when a friend regularly inquires whether one has read the latest issue of The Spectator, the purpose of the inquiry being to draw one’s attention to correspondence from that person in the issue in question? As the friendship is dear, I would welcome your advice on a suitable, gentle put-down.
J.V.B., St Peter Port, Guernsey
A. This all sounds very Pooterish and I am tempted to tick you off for mean-spiritedness. However, you may have supplied me with insufficient detail, so I will give you the benefit of the doubt. Why not reply with enthusiasm, ‘Yes, and I saw your letter and I started reading it and then something distracted me. Thanks for reminding me about that. I will make a point of finishing reading it.’ This should take the wind out of your dear friend’s sails and serve as a gentle put-down — if you have reason to believe one is called for.
Q. Each week when I read The Spectator I find that there are always one or two articles which are so erudite, lucid, pertinent or amusing that I cannot bring myself to throw them away. I feel that I must tear them out and keep them to reread in the future. My problem is that I keep finding mouldering heaps of these treasures buried under other things, or in folders or boxes where I have made some attempt to store them properly. Needless to say, they remain un-reread. Can you suggest either a way for me to keep this collection in order, or a way for me to cure myself of this hoarding compulsion?
K.S., Sydney, Australia
A. I am grateful to Judith Russell in the Aldeburgh Bookshop for the following solution to this problem, which besets many bookmen and academics.
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