Letters to the Author

by TelWoman

Have you ever felt moved to write to the author of a book or an article you've read? Who would have written these letters? (Written for the Oct 1 Challenge from the From Eroica With Love community on Imzy.)

LETTERS TO THE AUTHOR

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To: Colonel Vernon J Westmacott (Retd.), columnist for Tanks and Artillery

Dear Colonel Westmacott

In the July-August edition of Tanks and Artillery you wrote a long but only partly accurate article on the development of the Leopard tank. Its substantial power-to-weight ratio and its superior armouring led to the Leopard being adopted by more than a dozen countries world-wide. Far from being an anachronism in the battlefield, the armoured tank continues to remain a key component of modern warfare. The Leopard has been under continuous refinement since its introduction, informed by its performance on active duty and the changing conditions of modern warfare. It is easy for someone who has not been in active service …..

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To: Mr Callan C Callaghan, Guest Commentator: Investment, The Financial Times

Dear Mr Callaghan

The predictions you made in your column last month have proven to be incorrect. You predicted that shifts in the exchange rate in the second half of the month would result in a 2.775% rise in the Financial Times Index. My own calculations – admittedly after the event – show that the rise was in fact 2.76988759% Your responsibility is to provide your readers with solid information upon which to base their decision-making. The less-informed among your readers, taking your advice at face value, may have endangered their own investments by …..

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To: Professor Sir Harvey Harcourt, c/- Taylor-Prentice Publishers (Fine Art Division)

Dear Sir Harvey

Having just finished reading your excellent book, Chiaroscuro: Shadows, Secrets and the Revelation of Glory, I feel that I must congratulate you. I was impressed by your meticulous research and your balanced evaluation of the artists whose work you discuss. The influence of Caravaggio on chiaroscuro and tenebrismo cannot be underestimated, and you have given him due credit for his contribution to the evolution of these styles. If there is one small criticism I would make of your work, it is this: you have almost ignored any consideration of the erotic power of tenebrismo. Caravaggio's works, and those of others whose own styles have been influenced by him, used deep shadow to impart a dark and compelling sexual quality to their painting …..

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To: Agent A, NATO Intelligence, Bonn

Dear A,

Thanks for asking me to read and comment on the article Agent Z has written for the staff social club's International Christmas Newsletter. I've put some comments about the grammar and punctuation on the draft. Z's article is very good. But the thing that worried me when I read it was whether Major von dem Eberbach might take objection. I mean, I know it's satire, and I know that Z changed all the names, and made His Lordship into a professional gambler rather than a thief, but the Major will still be able to see through it. I don't think he'll like the suggestion that he'd spend a night in …..

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