• Letter from America: The Essential Letters 1936-2004

  • With additional narration by BBC American correspondent Matt Frei
  • By: Alistair Cooke, Matt Frei
  • Narrated by: Alistair Cooke
  • Length: 25 hrs and 28 mins
  • 4.6 out of 5 stars (30 ratings)

Prime logo Prime members: New to Audible?
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.
Letter from America: The Essential Letters 1936-2004  By  cover art

Letter from America: The Essential Letters 1936-2004

By: Alistair Cooke, Matt Frei
Narrated by: Alistair Cooke
Try for $0.00

$14.95/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $23.24

Buy for $23.24

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.

Publisher's summary

All six volumes of The Essential Letters from America, brought together for the first time in this definitive chronological collection of Alistair Cooke's finest broadcasts.

Alistair Cooke was the doyen of foreign correspondents and a radio legend, entertaining millions of listeners for over 50 years in his weekly Letter from America. It was the longest-running show in radio history, and every show was a virtuoso performance.

In this selection of his best and most memorable letters, Cooke reports on landmark political events from presidential elections to Franklin D. Roosevelt's funeral and the assassination of JFK. He reflects on the war in Vietnam, the Watergate scandal, the Monica Lewinsky affair, the Watts and Rodney King race riots in LA in 1965 and 1992, the Gulf War and the terrible events of 9/11.

Here are Cooke's observations on the Challenger space shuttle explosion, Black Monday, the catastrophic San Francisco earthquake of 1989 and - in his final letter - President Bush's difficulties with the situation in Iraq. But there are also letters in a more personal vein, as Cooke reflects on topics close to his heart such as sport (the Ali vs. Liston fight, baseball star Joe DiMaggio and golfer Bobby Jones) and music (pianist William Kapell, jazz singer Louis Armstrong and composer Irving Berlin).

The letters are set in their historical context with a specially commissioned script narrated by award-winning broadcast journalist Matt Frei. This collection also includes a bonus programme, Remembering Alistair Cooke.

©2015 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2015 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

What listeners say about Letter from America: The Essential Letters 1936-2004

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    24
  • 4 Stars
    3
  • 3 Stars
    0
  • 2 Stars
    2
  • 1 Stars
    1
Performance
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    24
  • 4 Stars
    1
  • 3 Stars
    0
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    1
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    22
  • 4 Stars
    3
  • 3 Stars
    0
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    1

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.