D – d  – download a Penguin

Sir: With reference to the lead Penguin’s comments [that is, Penguin chairman, John Makinson] on the ‘epub’ format [see Hodgkinson’s Register, ‘The book’s not dead’, 16 December 2014].

Visited my local epub the other day – most unsatisfying, a lot of the erustics were missing as were my usual edrinking partners. On the plus side, the usual eaholes were also among the missing, and the eGuiness certainly filled an ehole.

The good old book is so nicely and satisfyingly three dimensional – you can quickly go to a well thumbed page and on that page go down and over to find your quote or nicely turned phrase. The ebook is like a little porthole or a flashlight beam that you peer around with. Where are we now – almost done?

A book is unique, physical, palpable and this makes it and the story memorable. An ebook story is not tied to any physical object and seems strangely evanescent – non memorable.

An eBook is like an unsatisfying meal – sort of grey. Like grabbing an energy bar and a diet coke on the way out the door.

Keep up the good work – pointing out the bloody obvious to the ephilistines.

Dave

Is praising Tories a crime?

Sir: I would gladly praise a Tory [see Hodgkinson’s Register, ‘Praising Tories is not a crime’, 12 December, 2014] if he did anything useful, kind, helpful or human;  but don’t feel at all at odds with hating Nigel Mills for being a lazy slacker. MPs pitch up to work hard, and are well paid for doing so; and Tory MPs don’t subscribe to The Idler ethos; but rather make a big deal of claiming to represent “hardworking Britains” at every opportunity, and blaming the nation’s financial torpor on benefit scroungers and workshy persons, which really isn’t the case. It’s rude not to pay attention during a pensions meeting, and it’s really childish to play a game at work. Is Nigel embarrassed, or does he, like you, think getting caught is funny? Must be a public schoolboy thing.

Marina

Sir: Sorry to contradict, but Tories are not human; they are racist, classist, money-grabbing loathsome scum who have been responsible for atrocities and corruption the world over and, if we let them, would kill the national health and the school system to line their own pockets. I am truly shocked.

Chris Sullivan

Sir: The sad part is those of us who may have been Tory supporters have now come to despise them. Though back benchers seem to have retained some sense, front of house may as private individuals be OK (ish) but what they are doing is not. Dozing off is acceptable, fiddling your expenses to clean the moat or for a duck house dastardly, but persecuting the poorest to death is not all right in a civilised society.

Janet Lacey

Sir: No, not a crime, but enough to make me unsubscribe, nevertheless. I’m disappointed: I thought you had a clearer perception of the line between class and classy. When you take this sort of line, the whole modern gentleman schtick just falls apart and looks really lazy.

Andrew Phillips

Sir: Fred West was a human being. What you said, and on a national news programme [Channel 4 News], was really upsetting, clearly not just to me. He [Nigel Mills MP] was an elected representative showing contempt for the British public. If he had been a Labour MP I would still have been upset by your idiotic, unhelpful, smug views.

Bob Stanley

Sir: It is perhaps worth pointing out that some of the recipients of your emails, including me, are fully paid up Tory party members as well as idlers. I would have thought that we contemplative types would be more at home in a party that values freedom and self-reliance than in lefty parties which seem to comprise of shouty bossy activist types, all universally tiresome.

In any case I must return to staring at the flames in my log burner and listening to the birds on the feeder outside my window—currently an agreeable way to recover from one’s hangover.

I remain sir, etc.

Dr Montgomery

Send your letters to the editor at th@idler.co.uk