Sir, – Books are great. Not only can they be savoured and enjoyed if well written, but they can impart knowledge and information even if poorly done. Sizeable hardback books are by far the best items for propping up The Irish Times at the breakfast table in the morning; they have ballast, and the height can be fine-tuned to perfection by the simple expedient of adding or removing one or more of them.
And you know when you’re on a video conference call and you are particular about the relationship of the camera on your laptop to the upper part of your body – I like to have the little eye at the exact same height as my face so that I am perceived to have a steady, level gaze by the other participants – then the only practical answer is a small pile of books. This year Santa brought me quite a few of them. – Yours, etc,
SEAMUS McKENNA,
Dublin 14.