Letter: Literary larceny

Sir: Further to letters on thefts from the British Library, the tale is told that when A. E. Housman's A Shropshire Lad was first published as a slim and expensive volume it had to be replaced several times by the Cambridge University Library. Consequently, when a visitor to High Table sought to curry favour by saying to Housman, 'Master, I did so much enjoy your new book,' Housman replied, 'Yes. The librarian tells me that it appeals to the criminal classes.'

Yours faithfully,

PETER FELLGETT

Bodmin, Cornwall