The history of LOL: little old ladies are laughing out loud | Letters

When Chris Mullin publishes his long-awaited sequel to A Very British Coup (MI5 ousted my fictional PM, 11 August), he'll certainly have to update the opening sentence. On my rare visits to the Athenaeum, it always seems to be full of left-leaning academics. I suspect the news of a Corbyn victory would be greeted there by the popping of Bollinger corks.
Professor Philip Murphy
Director, Institute of Commonwealth Studies

" In the 1960s a columnist on the San Francisco Chronicle called Herb Caen invented LOL and used it referring to "little old ladies" (Still laughing out loud, 11 August). His early columns added "in tennis shoes". Later, LOL was sufficient for readers to catch the drift. Now, of course, no one would dare and everyone wears them anyway.
Judith Brundin
Oxford