Charlotte Higgins,"Stoics, cynics and the meaning of life," Guardian, 1 October, reported, in part, that"JK [Rowling] studied classics and French at Exeter University and is rumoured to have based Dumbledore on the splendidly bearded Peter Wiseman, Exeter's classics professor emeritus." Two days later, in"Dumbledore's Beard," Wiseman replied:"If only! I'm afraid the rumour is no more than a journalist's invention. My beard makes no pretensions to splendour - and it was black (Snape's colouring, not Dumbledore's) when JKR was a student at Exeter in 1983-85.""I am not Dumbledore," BBC News, 3 October, has more, including a photograph of Wiseman and his splendid beard. Thanks to Manan Ahmed for the tip.

Norman Stone,"1077 and all that," Guardian, 4 October, reviews Tom Holland's Millennium: The End of the World and the Forging of Christendom.

Martin Levin,"The genius of Gershwin and co," TLS, 3 October, reviews Wilfrid Sheed's The House That George Built, With a little help from Irving, Cole, and a crew of about fifty.

Richard Eder,"Yours Sincerely: A Poet on Fish, Bulls and Love," NYT, 2 October, reviews Christopher Reid, ed., Letters of Ted Hughes.