First Impressions

This week's competition to identify a book from its opening sentence is from a novelist described by Virginia Woolf as the first English woman to earn her living by writing:

"I cannot omit giving the world an account of the uncommon villainy of a gentleman of a good family in England, practised upon his sister, which was attested to me by one who lived in the family and from whom I had the whole truth of the story."

* Entries, including postal address, should be sent to First Impressions, The Times Higher , Admiral House, 66-68 East Smithfield, London E1W 1BX, faxed to 020 7782 3300 or emailed to theschat@thes.co.uk

The winner receives a £25 book voucher. The closing date is January 3.

The winner of last week's competition, who identified Matthew Lewis's The Monk , was Val Winter, of Consett, Co Durham.

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