"Ten percent of sentences in first-rate writing begin with 'and' or 'but,' " he said.
And that search for national self-definition has prompted a raft of first-rate writing.
But when you read science books, you can find first-rate writing, as good as in any field of nonfiction.
"Not all that many writers, over a 50-year career, can still be turning out absolutely first-rate writing," said Trewin.
This is first-rate writing, as you might expect from someone who regularly praises the great Nan Shepherd, whose The Living Mountain is an enduring marvel of nature-writing.
"Of course, it's obviously in our self-interest as a company to surface more compelling stories about creators on Tumblr; at the same time, though, we think Chris and Jessica will be able to do so in ways that embody professional rigor and first-rate writing," he said in an e-mail message.
Do I need to explain why that is such second-rate writing?
You would think that, as a writer, I'd avoid using them in e-mails and text messages, because on the face of it it's a second-rate writing style.
Next I want to call attention to two books that have two things in common: both are by Buckleys father and son, respectively and are therefore distinguished by first-rate writing, great narrative skill and a splendid appreciation of the historic and the comic.
A lot of second-rate writing has been short-listed.
When Simon Heffer of the Daily Mail complained in Standpoint magazine of "second rate" authors writing superficial histories of the first world war, was he taking an unnecessary and unjustified swipe at his former boss Max Hastings?
