John Keane's biography shows that Paine campaigned in the Pennsylvania Journal against the slave trade, inspiring the formation of The Society for the Relief of Free Negroes Unlawfully Held in Bondage. There are plenty of eager young novelists coming up who'd be happy to share a fraction of that between them. Time alone will tell if Mo's DIY job has been a case of hubris or mere vanity Nicholas Royle London N15. BEN PIMLOTT'S assertion that Tom Paine's concern for liberty did not extend to non-whites and women is wrong ("Early Islington man", Review, 16 April). THE fact that Timothy Mo is self-publishing his new novel shows a "chilling of the climate for literary fiction", suggests Andy Beckett ("Sour-sweet relationships", Review, 16 April).

All it shows is that publishers did not want to part with the advance Mo wanted "Three bidders left at 125 grand," says Mo Well, if that's not enough, then tough. Therefore it is perfectly possible for a jury to conclude that a woman was telling the truth about not consenting, but that the man made an honest, even stupid, mistake If the jury believes him, he must be acquitted Wyn Davies Burry Port, Dyfed. Under the Sexual Offences Act 1976, two things must be proved. First, the defendant had intercourse with a woman who at the time of the intercourse did not consent to it. Second, the man either knew she was not consenting or realised she may not have been consenting In other words he was reckless about her consent. ELIZABETH Heathcote assumes that if a man is acquitted of rape, the jury must have thought the woman victim was lying ("Are nine out of ten women liars?", 16 April) This is not necessarily so.

I will never forget the pain of hearing the early morning time signal on the BBC on more than three occasions and realising, with fresh horror every time, that a human being had just been killed in the name of justice and in my name, too - because I was part of the society that condoned it. John Selwyn GilbertBristol. They proved again what a despicable, ghastly, unforgivable thing it is for a government ceremoniously to murder one of its own citizens - however weak, frail, stupid, crazed, dishonest, evil or simply feckless that citizen may be. I recall waiting, when I was young, for the executions of Timothy Evans, Ruth Ellis, James Hanratty and others. The article she was criticising revealed elements of capital punishment that are cruel and revolting and which ought to be known. I DISAGREE with Amanda Thompson's criticism (Letters, 16 April) of the detailed discussion of the pain caused by various methods of capital punishment in the 9 April issue. In a profile of me, "The spy in the nation's bedroom", later in the same issue, Mr Cohen states that I have a daughter and that Kelvin MacKenzie never bollocked me when I was working for him at the Sun. Since both these latter assertions are complete falsehoods, I will leave your readers to make up their own minds about Mr Spring's behaviour.Piers MorganNews of the WorldLondon E1. And only a bigger fool says, `This is better because it is new'."Joe MartinWirral, Cheshire.

NICK Cohen claims on the front page of your 16 April issue that Richard Spring MP was "set up" by the News of the World. They wish to conserve what is valuable for the many - the health service and social security, an education system open to all and free speech in the media; along with other institutions and traditions such as the Post Office and the right to pay bills in cash. Maybe Conservatives all have telephones, fax machines, e-mail facilities and bank accounts which are always in the black, not to mention private health insurance and an educational trust fund, and therefore don't need to be particularly conservative.G K Chesterton - not a Conservative - once wrote: "Only a fool says, `This is good because it is old'. HUGH WILSON (Letters, 16 April) shows himself dimly aware of the distinction between "conservative" and Conservative by using the capital "C" to refer to his party But perhaps the difference needs to be made clearer to him. Non-Conservatives can be conservative on many points, thoughtfully so and not "unthinkingly", as he would have it. A great deal of that has been achieved in the past 30 years and the impact on social policy - poverty, education and crime, for example - has been considerable.M J ClarkeOxford. Their impact on these and other disciplines and subject areas has been substantial. Your reporter justly bridles at the use of jargon and neologisms.

I recall students ridiculing their development in the 1960s.The sociologist's job is to describe and explain how societies and their institutions work. Many members of sociology departments have little or nothing to do with the BSA or its conferences. More importantly, sociology has had an influence way beyond departments. There are many sociologists working more or less as such, not only in such intellectually close departments as social administration and social history but also in medicine, law, geography, accounting, and business studies. WHILE I would not wish to dispute your reporter's account of the British Sociological Association conference it would be wrong to allow the impression to go unchallenged that it is representative of British sociology ("Sociology: dark and difficult work", 16 April). If 11 million men and 2 million women enjoy football, then at least the broadsheets are covering something that interests more than a tiny middle-class constituency. Nick HornbyLondon N5.