Letter From America

Gwyneth Williams, Controller, Radio 4... “Alistair Cooke – his very name invokes the art of writing for radio. His unmistakeable voice on Radio 4 every week for over 50 years with 'Letter From America' defined an era. I am hugely excited about this extraordinary archive. We can all now explore and listen to 920 of the letters. I can see Alistair, as I listen afresh, telling his stories and drawing in listeners with his easy authority and knowledge of history, his reporting skills and his passion for America.

This is a wonderful initiative. I am reminded how often we listened to Cooke in the years before we emigrated from Scotland to the United States in 1955. I suppose my preparation for life in the New Word was aided as much by Alistair Cooke as by Norman Rockwell.