Letter from America by Alistair Cooke: The Early Years (1940s, 1950s and 1960s)

A fragment from 1947

A fragment preserved from Cooke's talk, reflecting on the importance of democratic capitalism and a free economy to Americans.

Television in America, 1951

How a new daily diet of television in America is changing people's lives, as reported by Alistair Cooke.

William Kapell (1922-1953)

A tribute to American Pianist William Kappell, the best pianist of his generation, and what music means to Americans.

500th letter

Alistair Cooke remembers Lindsay Wellington, the BBC head who came up with the idea of weekly letters to help people in the UK understand American life in 1946.

Big brains

How New York construction was brought to a halt by the Electrician's Union strike, and why the computer or 'the big brain' will soon change how people work.