The Times Sir: The year in letters

by Andrew Riley (Editor), Times Books (editor)

The perfect gift for anyone with a shrewd sense of humour.Decidedly absurd and always entertaining, the very best letters to The Times are a treasure trove of wit, humour and unexpected insight.

From bizarre uses for old school ties to the nostalgic disappearance of the humble washing line, this collection lets you in on more than a few inside jokes from one of Britain’s longest-running correspondences.

While the other pages of the newspaper chronicle the pressing issues of the day, the Letters page often muses on the things that really matter. Now back for the third year in a row, The year in letters is a selection of the best of these letters, an elegant and erudite display of Times readers at their most whimsical and droll.

The perfect gift for anyone with a shrewd sense of humour, this book

An absurdly entertaining round up of the year’s happeningsMore than 400 letters featured in The Times, curated by Letters editor Andrew RileyOriginal cartoons by Royston Robertson

Genres: Nonfiction

192 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 11, 2025

About the author

Andrew Riley lives near Denver, Colorado with his beautiful wife, handsome son, faithful hound and three arrogant cats who refuse to carry his mail. He has eaten Kangaroo in Australia, crossed Bulgaria by taxi, and bathed in a Korean bathhouse, which is not as exciting as you might think.

Reviews

[Paul Fulcher · Rating 1 out of 5]

See my review of last year’s edition: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Although this one lacked the AFC Wimbledon reference or any real stand out letters, so marking down.

And, perhaps reflecting the times, there felt a tendency away from the whimsical to the reactionary - even Alan Titchmarsh manages to get involved in a heated exchange about slugs.

A couple of example letters

Tribal identity
Sir, Like Oliver Bishop (letter, Jun 18) I was a Mohican at Dulwich Prep (1959-63), and the tribal names, far from being an egregious example of "cultural appropriation",
", planted a seed of interest in the history of
Native Americans. I studied their resilience and suffering in the 1950s and 1960s for my master's degree, many years after leaving the school.
Andrew Boxer Witney, Oxon

Lonely generation

Sir, As a 19-year-old, I have found a simple solution to Alice Thomson's article on loneliness in my generation ("The future depends on Gen Z connecting", Feb 12): to act like those generations before us. I wear corduroy trousers, don double-cuff shirts, read PG Wodehouse and have a print subscription to The Times. And no, this has not made me more lonely — but in fact has got me a girlfriend owing to my eccentricities! For an antidote to loneliness, I recommend all comrades of my era act a bit more young fogey-esque. Perhaps a new name for those such as me could be the Baby Zoomer?
Geordie Coles St Andrews, Fife

Sorry Mum - not very grateful for my present!

[Rachel N · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a book I look forward to every year and I’m glad to see it’s as entertaining as ever. The letters chosen cover a whole host of subjects, many of them very funny, and often lead to excellent conversations between readers over a few days. My favourites this year include the idea of the Oldlympics swimming event where swimmers get points for keeping hair and face dry and have conversations with their fellow swimmers every 30 seconds, or the story of the pub that covers its walls in tin foil each year so drinkers can see how the turkey feels, and there are lovely reminiscences following the obituaries of the likes of Maggie Smith, Johnnie Walker and Marianne Faithful. This is a great book to dip in and out of (although I tend to read it cover to cover at once) and would make a wonderful Christmas present.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an advance copy in return for an honest review.

[Janalyn, the blind reviewer · Rating 5 out of 5]

The TIMES Sir, edited by Andrew Riley, This is a yearly collection of letters or rather the best or most interesting letters sent to the editor at times magazine. I love reading epistolary novels and I must say the annual times book of readers comments or some of my favorite. There’s not only dry humor but it’s always amazing to me to see people ride in gauge what others know that I wouldn’t have even thought of. I read this book overtime when I had a spare moment but found myself in many situations not wanting the nurse to call my name or the alarm to go off to go cook dinner this is a very interesting book anyone who likes books made up of letters from real people on topics that are historical, fairly current and in some cases absolutely current will totally enjoy this book I’m so glad I requested it and now I want to go read the previous years books. #Netgalley, #BlindReviewer, #MyHonestReview, #AndrewRiley, #ThetimesSir,

[Beachcomber · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.25 stars. A collection of stories to The Times, gathered into themes and with an accompanying cartoon. There are some funny letters (my favourites being those reminiscing over encounters with Dame Maggie Smith), poignant (the many who lost his wife and treasured his male friends’ support, or the widowed woman who re-reads a letter from her late husband every night and falls in love with him all over again), as well as the inevitable pompous/know it all letters or the downright odd (proposing a plaque on the wall for the man who invented dental floss).

I received a free ARC copy of this via NetGalley and the publishers in return for an unbiased review.

[WhatFrizRead · Rating 4 out of 5]

I look forward to reading this every year as a collection of witticisms, shrewd attitudes and often sage advice too.

This collection is a good one, it's an enjoyable read that I read rather quickly! There wasn't as much humour as last year's, in my opinion, but maybe that's a reflection on the content of the last year in the world.

This is a great book for Times readers and non-times readers alike and I still think would make a great book gift for those who are difficult to buy for!

[Tony S · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the annual The Times Sir publication from a selection of letters sent in. They run in themes I think it is fair to say and really make an excellent read.
This is one of those books you can pick up read a bit and go back to. There are some genuinely laugh out loud letters in this book and it is highly recommended.

[Gumble's Yard - Golden Reviewer · Rating 2 out of 5]

Stocking filler which I receive annually and which captures something of the zeitgeist of the year, mixed with some more timeless English eccentricities, as reflected through the Times letter pages … albeit this year no letter or series of connected letters really stood out.

[Alison · Rating 3 out of 5]

A collection of letters to The Times newspaper.

I've read similar collections from the The Telegraph and I have to say I think those were funnier and/or more batty. Generally, I got the impression that it was only funny/interesting if you were there at the time (although I will take the tip about scaring away Magpies from a fellow Orpingtonite), otherwise these letters barely raised a wry smile.

A fairly short read.

I received an ARC from the publishers via NetGalley.

Bumped for release.