Were T.S. Eliot’s character to be judged solely on the basis of the most recent volume of his letters, the verdict would not be kind. The first to be published since his widow Valerie’s death in 2011, John Haffenden pays tribute to her and her editorial work. It is the most interesting aspect of the book, for the dullness of Eliot’s correspondence is only partly explained by the fact that the bulk of it concerns his work as editor of The Criterion and as a director of Faber. It is difficult to sense even from his letters to close friends what Eliot was actually like. He rarely let slip a mask deliberately constructed to avoid the exposure of his emotions. Eliot projects a sense of old age, even when young. Valerie Eliot was aware that “Tom” seemed to others a