15 JULY 1989, Page 45

No. 1585: Odious comparisons

`Byzantium was the Milton Keynes of the Roman world' is the first sentence of a description of a book in a publisher's catalogue, kindly sent to me by Mr Keith Smith. You are invited to supply a piece of prose (maximum 150 words) beginning with this or a similarly grotesque geog- raphical or historical comparison. Entries to 'Competition No. 1585' by 28 July.