First impressions

This week's First Impressions, the competition in which you have to identify a book from its openingsentence, comes from a novel whose eponymous hero became a synonym for US provincial conformism: "The towers of Zenith aspired above the morning mist; austere towers of steel and cement and limestone, sturdy as cliffs and delicate as steel rods. They were neither citadels nor churches, but frankly and beautifully office buildings."

Entries should be submitted 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 receives a Pounds 20 book token and theclosing date is September 23. Last week's winner, who identified Kingsley Amis'sLucky Jim, is David Martin of the University of Sheffield.