Alistair Cooke

This authoritative biography recounts the life of the pioneering British journalist and beloved host of the PBS program Masterpiece Theater. One of the preeminent journalists of the twentieth century, Alistair Cooke has enjoyed a truly extraordinary career in print, radio, and television. Born into a working-class family in northern England, he was christened Alfred and raised in Blackpool. But Cooke swiftly broke free of his modest origins and became the foremost commentator on American life and politics, first for the British press and eventually for the entire world. Alistair Cooke: A Biography is both a fascinating record of one man's determination to reinvent himself and a lively and informative journey through the highways and byways of the twentieth century.