LETTERS FROM AMERICA: SEASONAL LETTERS

LETTER FROM AMERICA 1946-2004

For over sixty years Cooke's letters from America interpreted changing US life for the rest of the world. This book contains a defining collection of letters from the assassination of Kennedy to September 11th 2001.

LETTERS FROM AMERICA: THE ELECTIONS

Alistair Cooke was a radio legend, entertaining millions of listeners for over fifty years in his weekly Letter from America. It was the longest-running one-man series in radio history, and every show was a virtuoso performance. Wise and witty, informed yet informal, Cooke was the doyen of foreign correspondents. To correspond with the 2008 election, and the centenary of Alistair Cooke's birth, here are five Letters about previous presidents and their elections over the past sixty years, in which Cooke - one of the world's most famous letter writers and radio's greatest observer - reflects on American life and politics. Starting with Truman's surprise victory in 1948 and concluding with another surprise win, that of George W. Bush in 2000 - he comments on opinion polls, democracy, the difference between Democrats and Republicans, Bill Clinton's fashion sense and what Clinton's symbolic rejection of 'the blue blazer' meant to the American political system. In each Letter, his unique style of expression and analysis shines through. The Letters are introduced by the BBC's North America editor, Justin Webb, who sets them in their historical context and reflects on what has changed since Cooke's original broadcasts and what has not.

MEMORIES OF THE GREAT AND THE GOOD

Over his long career Alistair Cooke met and interviewed many of the most influential people in the twentieth century. Here he has collected together his memories of some of those who have left the world a better place.