Sad news. Thank you, Ann, for letting us know.
John and I never met in person, but he was a lively correspondent, and he did me a much appreciated good turn by mail years ago. Prize-money checks (or cheques) from Spectator competitions were piling up on my desk and I wasn't bothering to deposit them at my bank because the foreign transaction fees involved would have meant losing money on every win. John volunteered to operate a private bureau de change; I'd sign the magazine's checks over to him and he'd send me equivalent quantities of U.S. currency. On one occasion, I arranged to buy a short stack of his books by that method. He kept a share of my winnings and I got a parcel full of good reading. That's my idea of a good international trade agreement.
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