Sir – I was delighted to read in your columns that the ladders used to retrieve books in the Bodleian have been banned by the Health and Safety Executive. This method of book retrieval has been used for 400 years without incident, and it is clearly unsafe.

But surely there are other matters which should also be addressed. Any old book must have accumulated over the years particles of dust which could be injurious and noxious to readers’ lungs. It would be wise to remove from circulation all books of say, 50 years of age or more.

Even more serious however is the content of the books themselves. How much damage may be caused to the mind of a young or impressionable reader by an unsuitable book is impossible to estimate. It is curious that the H&SE has not considered this danger.

I would recommend that the Bodleian put a stop to all book reading until the hazards attendant upon it are fully investigated in a public inquiry.

Alas I fear that the management of the library, with their usual spinelessness, will do nothing, and that the bad and dangerous practice of book reading will continue unabated.

Gerard Ledger, Oxford