I am confused by Mark Lawson’s assertion (Inventor of ‘bonkbuster’ whose familiarity with high life helped her sell 500m books, 21 September) that Jacqueline Susann, author of 1966’s Valley of the Dolls, precursor of Jackie Collins’ bonkbuster bestsellers about Hollywood, “died young without writing another book”. Susann’s follow-up hits, The Love Machine (1969) and Once Is Not Enough (1973) – featuring the deathless line, “you’ve just cut my balls off in front of my daughter” – made her the first author in history to have three consecutive number one titles in the New York Times best-seller list.
Quentin Falk
Little Marlow, Buckinghamshire
• Thirty years or so ago the Queen was guest at a civic lunch in Rochdale Town Hall. As the time for her speech approached, the mayor turned to her for a reminder of how to address her (‘Love’ and ‘darling’ here to stay, says care home, despite warning, 16 September). “The first time you call me ‘Your Majesty’, then it’s ‘Ma’am’” advised the Queen. “But I shouldn’t worry. You’ve been calling me ‘Luv’ right through lunch.”
Canon Simon Tatton-Brown
Bath
• Following a weekend in which Great Britain won through to the final of the Davis Cup for the first time since 1978, wouldn’t it have been more fitting to have a photo of the Murray brothers on the sport front page (21 September), rather than the yellow-carded All Blacks captain?
Geoff Bunce
Harpenden, Hertfordshire
• Rather than have the Twickenham crowd drown out the haka and the cognate forms of welcome and challenge performed by Pacific island teams, why doesn’t the English team get an act of its own? Morris dancing perhaps.
Rod Edmond
Deal, Kent
• “Overweaning statism” (Corrections and clarifications, 21 September): possibly another aspect of the nanny state?
Dr Richard Carter
London
