page 5

Handbook Queried

This letter is a personal statement by a member of the staff at Whitcombe & Tombs and should not be interpreted as a policy statement by the firm.

The Editor,

I was interested to read the article entitled "Books" in the Student Handbook. If nothing else it made entertaining reading for a couple of minutes. However such a poorly researched article begs for a reply.

Does the writer seriously consider the coverage limited, or would he like us to carry a copy of every book in print? After all, the U.K. alone publishes 3 3,000 new books a year. It should also be recognised that Whitcombes is a general bookshop with books covering all subjects. With branches throughout New Zealand we can get almost any book as quickly as the post office will allow.

As for having relevant textbooks, might I suggest that before the writer makes such statements, he should do two things.

First, at least try walking up the stairs to the first floor, other students have and seem entirely satisfied with the relevance of our textbooks.

Second, try thinking why some books are not there. Students are entitled to have the books when they need them, but we need to know what these books are. The Student Executive could help by urging the departments to prepare book lists early.

As for the final remarks about ordering, I can only assume this is a fill-in to end the line at the edge of the page. What bookseller could survive with such an ordering policy!! Many students seem very happy with our ordering system which operates as efficiently as any such indent system. Problems are of course bound to occur as a result of difficulties at the suppliers end.

If anyone wishes to discuss this matter further, please contact me at Whitcombes, Phone 41-080, ext. 89.