First Impressions

This week's competition, in which you have to identify a book from its opening sentence, is from a brassy satire without a hero.

"While the present century was in its teens, and on one sunshiny morning in June, there drove up to the great iron gate of Miss Pinkerton's academy for young ladies, on Chiswick Mall, a large family coachI"

* 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 receives a £20 book token and the closing date is December 1. The winner of last week's competition, who correctly identified The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, was W. R. Jones of the Centre for Lifelong Learning, University of Newcastle.