A defining collection from Alistair Cooke's legendary BBC Radio broadcasts, guiding us through nearly sixty years of changing life in the United States 'No one else succeeded in explaining to the English-speaking world ... the idiosyncrasies of a country at once so familiar, and yet so utterly foreign' Independent When Alistair Cooke retired in February 2004 he was acclaimed as one of the greatest broadcasters of all time. His Letter from America radio series, which began in 1946 and continued every week for fifty-eight years until his retirement, kept the world in touch with what was happening in America. Cooke's wry, humane and liberal style both informed and entertained his audience. The selection here, made largely by Cooke himself and supplemented by his literary executor, gives us the very best of these legendary broadcasts. It covers key moments from the assassination of Kennedy through to the Vietnam War and Watergate to 9/11, the Iraq War and anticipates the 2004 elections. It includes portraits of the great and the good from Charlie Chaplin to Martin Luther King, Jr, and topics as varied as civil rights, golf, jazz and the changing colours of a New England fall. Each Letter contributes to a captivating portrait of a nation - and of a man.

Have you read about the day Eamon Dunphy went for a drink in London with George Best? Or the day Paul Kimmage sat down with Roy Keane in Saipan? Or the story about Paul O'Connell and the Superman tee-shirt? Have you met Hurling Man? Do you know why prop forwards rule the roost in Rugby Hell? Or why a famous goal brought so much misery to the man who scored it? These stories and many more can be found in On The Seventh Day, an anthology of some of the best sports writing published in Ireland over the last thirty years, now released in paperback. There is a literary quality to the best sports writing - a refusal to dumb down. On the Seventh Day showcases some of the best, and features undoubted stars of the genre like Paul Kimmage, Eamon Dunphy and David Walsh. Kimmage's remarkable piece, 'Inside the team that Mick built', which tells the story of Ireland's memorable win over Holland in 2001, opens the book and sets the tone for a stunning collection of articles spanning the years from Euro '88 to the summer of 2018. Featured writers also include Eamonn Sweeney, Joe Brolly, Neil Francis, Colm O'Rourke, Brendan Fanning, Marie Crowe, Anthony Cronin, Dion Fanning, Richard Sadlier, Cliona Foley, Tommy Conlon and Mick Doyle, covering the GAA, soccer, rugby, golf, athletics, horse racing, boxing, snooker and more. On The Seventh Day explores anger, joy, humour, sadness, pity, tragedy, beauty; there are memories, controversies and celebrations; tales of addiction and tales of redemption. Together, the pieces, which are taken from the pages of the Sunday Independent over the last three decades, show how truly great sports writing stands the test of time.