First Impressions

This week's competition, in which you have to identify a book from its opening sentence, is from a novel that became the inspiration for the transcendental movement:

'Considering our present advanced state of culture, and how the Torch of Science has now been brandished and borne about... for five thousand years and upwards... it might strike the reflective mind with some surprise that hitherto little or nothing of a fundamental character... has been written about Clothes.'

* 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 February 6.

The winner of last week's competition, who identified Lady Susan by Jane Austen, is Roger W. A. Linden, head of the department of physiology, School of Biomedical and Health Sciences, King's College London.

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