Read Foreword

I was naturally honoured and delighted when Denise, my sometime and long-term collaborator, asked me to scribble a few words by way of introduction to the present work. This I believe is her masterpiece and I can think of only one reason why it wasn’t published 10 years ago. Publishers are massive nitwits. I could gladly expand at length on such a theme but here is probably not the place. What matters is that the cream of Denise’s correspondence, her extraordinary campaign of bonkers yet plausible letter-writing, is published now.

Denise constructs a world, letter by letter, that is much more fun than this one. A world of airships, free Guinness and unusually branded loo paper. Denise is fearless, ready to go straight to the top man and prepared to use the most disarming poetry to make her point.

I cannot pick out a single letter for there are too many gems and they are all so different. Alright, I will mention one letter, one of which I know Denise is especially proud. It is from the late William Donaldson, creator of Henry Root. “I loved your two letters,” he writes. “…tell me what I can do to help.” The baton of the brilliant, barmy letter has surely been passed to Denise and it is in the safest hands.

Malcolm Scott Hop Farm, Kent. July 2010