Letter: Plagued by book prizes

Sir: Tom Wilkie is entitled to his opinion of the relative merits of Arno Karlen's Plague's Progress and Laurie Garrett's The Coming Plague, I'd like to point out, however, that Plague's Progress was praised by Oliver Sacks for its "combination of meticulous research and easy, natural writing", and by Roy Porter for its avoidance of hysteria, its clarity and completeness. I only wish Mr Wilkie had been equally assiduous in his avoidance of hysteria.

MIKE PETTY

Editorial Director

Victor Gollancz

London, WC2

Victor Gollancz are the publishers of 'Plague's Progress'