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This week's First Impressions, the competition in which you have to identify a book from its opening sentence, comes from an author whose inexact anagram was to become immortal:

"My dear Mark, Today I went to see my physician Hermogenes, who has just returned to the Villa from a rather long journey in Asia."

The winner receives a ?20 book token and the closing date is July 7.

Entries should be sent to
First Impressions
The THES
Admiral House, 66-68 East Smithfield
London E1 9XY

faxed to 0171-782 3300
or emailed to theschat@thes.co.uk

The winner of last week's competition, who identified Jacques Monod's Chance and Necessity , is Richard Marshall of Oakham.