Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    The Americans: Letters from America 1969–1979
    The Americans: Letters from America 1969–1979
    The Americans: Letters from America 1969–1979
    Ebook374 pages5 hours

    The Americans: Letters from America 1969–1979

    By Alistair Cooke

    4/5

    ()

    Read preview

    About this ebook

    “Reading [Cooke] is like spending an evening with him: you may have heard it all before, but never told with such grace and sparkle.” —The New York Times Book Review

    As the voice of the BBC’s Letter from America for close to six decades, Alistair Cooke addressed several millions of listeners on five continents. They tuned in every Friday evening or Sunday morning to listen to his erudite and entertaining reports on life in the United States. According to Lord Hill of Luton, chairman of the BBC, Cooke had “a virtuosity approaching genius in talking about America in human terms.”

    That virtuosity is displayed to great effect in this essential collection of Cooke’s letters, covering a momentous decade in American history.

    Always entertaining, provocative, and enlightening, the master broadcaster reports on an extraordinarily diverse range of topics, from Vietnam, Watergate, and the constitutional definition of free speech to the jogging craze and the pleasures of a family Christmas in Vermont. He eulogizes Supreme Court Chief Justice Earl Warren, pays an affectionate and moving tribute to Duke Ellington, and treats readers to a night at the opera with Jimmy Carter.

    Alistair Cooke was one of the twentieth century’s most influential reporters and, according to Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist James Reston, the “best story-teller in America.” This captivating collection includes some of Cooke’s most memorable insights into American history and culture.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherOpen Road Media
    Release dateMar 3, 2015
    ISBN9781497682795
    The Americans: Letters from America 1969–1979
    Author

    Alistair Cooke

    Alistair Cooke, KBE (1908–2004), was a legendary British American journalist, television host, and radio broadcaster. He was born in Lancashire, England, and after graduating from the University of Cambridge, was hired as a journalist for the BBC. He rose to prominence for his London Letter reports, broadcast on NBC Radio in America during the 1930s. Cooke immigrated to the United States in 1937. In 1946, he began a tradition that would last nearly six decades—his Letter from America radio appearances on the BBC. Cooke was also beloved as the host of PBS’s Masterpiece Theatre for twenty-one years. He wrote many books, both collections of his Letters from America and other projects. After his death, the Fulbright Alistair Cooke Award in Journalism was established to support students from the United Kingdom seeking to study in the United States, and vice versa.

    Read more from Alistair Cooke

    Related to The Americans

    Related ebooks

    United States History For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      'A Bold and Dangerous Family' Ably Chronicles One Italian Family's Battle Against Mussolini

      Oct 5, 2017

      Moorehead, who grew up in Italy and speaks Italian, portrays the trials and intrigues of the Rosselli clan in intimate detail.

      3 min read

    • Article

      Jeff Flake's 'Conservative Conscience'

      Aug 9, 2017

      The book pulls no punches. It sharply condemns conservatism for its role in a "culture of vicious dehumanization," not to mention its sins of incoherence, rejection of empirical fact and plain hypocrisy. Writing of the rush by the conservative party,

      2 min read

    • Article

      World-class Snob, First-class Diarist

      Mar 25, 2021

      THE BEST DIARISTS ARE flawed individuals who exist on the fringe of great events and are natural observers and acerbic wits. Snobbery helps too. Think Samuel Pepys, James Boswell, Alan Clark. Henry “Chips” Channon (1897-1958) has long been seen as on

      5 min read

    • Article

      A Year in Reading: Mark Slouka

      Dec 16, 2021

      When times get hard—and the news, I think it’s fair to say, has sucked of late—my reading, like everyone else’s, gets reactive. The post A Year in Reading: Mark Slouka appeared first on The Millions.

      8 min read

    • Article

      The Story of Plover

      Apr 17, 2020

      The Story of Plover
      6 min read

    • Article

      Last Portion Of Chips

      Sep 21, 2022

      Last Portion Of Chips
      4 min read

    • Article

      A Sunken White Elephant

      Jan 21, 2020

      THERE’S a brilliant documentary by Werner Herzog, called Encounters at the End of the World. This beautifully filmed expedition essentially explores not only Antarctica, but also the people who live and work there. They’re a fascinating bunch of pers

      3 min read

    • Article

      Andrew Ridgeley

      Jun 26, 2023

      Andrew Ridgeley
      6 min read

    • Article

      Joshua Ferris Writes a Work of Hope

      Aug 2, 2021

      This was always going to be about Joshua Ferris’s dad. “You catch me pretty fresh,” the author deadpans over Zoom. “I haven’t talked about it.” The “it” refers to his long-awaited new novel, A Calling for Charlie Barnes, which publishes in September.

      4 min read

    • Article

      Wartime Diarist

      May 8, 2018

      Wartime Diarist
      7 min read

    • Article

      Early Morning Artist

      Jul 13, 2023

      Early Morning Artist
      2 min read

    • Article

      My Therapist Died

      Apr 11, 2024

      My Therapist Died
      5 min read

    • Article

      Considering Carter

      Mar 9, 2021

      Considering Carter
      1 min read

    • Article

      A Full Portion Of Chips

      Aug 25, 2021

      Both my grandfathers had nicknames. My father’s father, Henry Channon, was called Chips. It is a mystery why he was given this nickname. Did he once live with a Mr Fish at Oxford? Or was he the first person to introduce potato chips or crisps to Lond

      5 min read

    Related categories

    Reviews for The Americans

    4/5

    17 ratings1 review

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 5/5
      Cooke is both a masterful writer and public speaker. His stories about America are entertaining especially from his English point of view.

    Book preview

    The Americans - Alistair Cooke

    dbook_preview_excerpt.html}[GrVr4+@و&55?2#73#;P:f'Zɜs#3 4싪|GݼLybbץR8u^eWy]WC^q~7wS>`|xowa.yTZn |VTa𜖰; 9^Uob\O|--W܉:tki8EJ@ VlMpټs9j(9vmŃ8yMxI F/WsB?z7<Ǿ_[#|˜1Kj)5Ha88y{՘9S{Ǩ:) O*ts O3X4a'\꓅ ,lR5H\p O6ƈ`}p. { #n Rb-ebpYr<ȤVpzѢhyt.UxI0/ܕ]zDnP:4< [T?B rNhߞ80U?&ܞoOQ'=G[R~$pX֋ȼnO=,ޞLCn$ϑ竱тrp 0řKqQgpGM^9{,#cpLEpHe%@ \J$Cm}.=[a[FVG8fѣܺ*h6.:C8a4 Df0pشA{ˍH|oO@7Oy &[({ ߄c5PjR<ǓY^c7^ T haUyXlt'b4e|i6_ qp;s熁}!cg,V,8 ΆxI-0Oz`e`.2Ծ< \YȅBo#<˨w@#7$al|ʡq qK\n~oZ paOaeO9c7ld[T:BNaK9 7ZT +/|ݳ$)ZK| OKq7. oƺR}Y͗i ڴ39F1 :H.G N!\j7(sXi'1]StC[MO\Ln{W}P_Wf7ӝ94b~IIvS|j߯S4:ݱذ$¢Է9r #+lz@E>~ꮚu|Vh]L2nsír~C7^wklV;=PO-M/9܍IUX nO3*jWsƾH89l/&]oFؙa~"b\Ds=aC ^im1[|lH;K\ήØǵW&??F|ƙT :+cE $\ ,WJn<(N|w9hrp#YSy\%h(:bo}5ɖ䷈$O.O-YYBl ^%8OTFZKC捔3|sy v7Cwvv>;D`xC ud 0cQPq>Ldr; rl2 ,QY}Aj%G@3/n$a# (h=[>`zݘ:A*jz(ԗ_.,W7(#?Q3Y? ^,[YťwhͳG#cI[ٹBc/S:y"Cٽ0(%!8ŦBTpoo3[Nmzqxi#۵`--.rr5ɩq< äHG6ӢqbrarWpBE A!Jcz)蛧Y,d^`Vr[>\h 9ے7og(-m'c-CוT}LN%N2Z`, jD-\ ODT*noYi񒓭D>6"uu3}~ڔ*O®1 "$Sn&?=.7B8R[t3vN׃ uG!޸S6K€4. I-I8+ e C{,Mm5fyagr?Js31fBaQ6ċ!.k5^Ơ2\w)SfуFk -d'r1!J.G G8lH鵹m0} S=v'bs%^C~86?e@gtop. 8~/KR8lzX#O+r,x~%-$}a9@3VؚvՇf.y +@;2_THcݫu";r/lE|uo`VFExbt ʁ!5(f38-Ygl "1n3eEܸmx JZOX'h WK[ Kbfᖈa5٣< $#; \Y|5ظUiǰEɬ`(pfXF ]x@at& k`ƹNDHjsqkPraCYil10Tg^g# DXjS S,Io,s<9iH:t\(tRJGstbڒFh==^ȔΛ\'hheGWf1Sc<-䆖/ScdC}}Q ޺%8+nkz"Sz"7}Nihp.P0Vc /4 Δz@j;0{|A߹a^qo 1H|Ko#P'_ $w( B8wϸd^hYyig7V%uT,G%r s/&':=)Z)B6DYzQ#9ƏP Gj)?qf|0 ^QDe܌Z_7!yG?|)3$[=}\>|ʳ |E\ nURx؄0>dX8Q+6Hѩ$^6Lrr*pVٳ9`lyEB&ض0<+e}ߞ~kNFrk˸T Ld.Qf7Ղg 2q~Ŀ%nIQN`Q,`0_a׮޾8p_BB'wE=ChXÈNoRa̞٠"]כ Sⷖ,?eK|+(tp[<LckI|(ɔZg Lgr809C|ISRy4>0g[UE?|FO4 2=0M$0%&DOok: %._*#z< HHsʒ%MyS\D<[-UԻ*)9ͯ;)_`TpWT=bu$c쉐7&4h+(^aZm9ɸ]8^ '% ʟU>@g.F !x 4lynVMry7&?it1l+SI "tJ@ÛEb1S(9h,}3ģx.)iP~i)Wm̬lR4MM#d]v; NYXr?Kf]^*@1QFv!^],8*z Na,Lx_`in#ouD ŜL#n:'GPaL08oMÞ2Gk>MDbc}+cQP}`NRw?H/.inR#Jv?ԇ\ܒ^ R `UayM9Wi\%'GO~"6DF}7d<G:%Alxz<9zrt[`Iz=3"#d g˷ZwשW3o"pdzSn36,u NSg IKw C ?:]]V ୧_QÓr5_J#^"Aލ=<;OO)[|БVFg1h e%U$yb~ OpCiI,2DtuƯW<vJAg} +`J^,gPIRoYٿ.[(`\'[K(qfJkCm]߶.LC,9kfx"!27l*1BFmjJUM˜ ,*)[ZiF ~UGŷ1R(ɧ yάO.>g'u-hwzC͸0q^hZs`A[q9f,SQ.;KЙT-R-yJ=4,KT-= $# r]"'.5"Tg^Q =^\9s&!Fh[uxX.b\J :NHI22e>?m9 4Y:w[26mx!#j3GS,%@ԩLۿ=54!>a]-<,"sL& tʮ*2TScVCIc`A p~A2(y'Yz;IχIYơ k\|˰W8A͸9#3dHwIhGZ[vͧz8Joŝ޳ J8!S@ -cpw;)b54ROor2EnhhY c0}&u 9nŏrˬ9Vͺx ͥH>v5M`BJx/Tuw&7d ``wfTK:Ub'u z,{{9o:s,+#f+J͑T)*+eb)JE.^϶cY͋`sz'67{[/&a]ɫւt0`Tؕ;GS{2̠'5qƙ/[yZ8'N^z1o:LԶ/p^ -,Lsn'( Wt;V5ٺc -?_p=X|@򔴞y= sx]xC'c1|1Ԋ*zS6cG'vY-}urRra#<4:2ܮ?AY3O=*/jpL^Ԁo1?Pc[0k;(Ž\84/k-mg9 HBU`:5>qE&u80c r?ĎMOW μyg[?Y r\נ^)@؆h 5ݡ0n(7 L]jRʝypb hYdNlCk1 sM70la;)C^lE*)F zBrer.s'bb@v_Z(9~D7",2k*1EX!aRe^,|߬2/c ;kOҏo#W'^[bzx A￡5\ydRn_j:4:xsL x7ו: zȒ%]aׁM v:S5}s6?gLn[fy\VHWJoH-¢S^AXm%[6}֪j3Q'CVcEߒT/~neoPK>1&e9Jl?q۵ʦ=Xҋi,ZkhjoSY`WIE{ A $ Y3:Ut
    Enjoying the preview?
    Page 1 of 1