For over half a century, Alistair Cooke entertained and informed millions of listeners around the world in his weekly BBC radio program "Letter from America." An outstanding observer of the American scene, he became one of the world's best-loved broadcasters, and a foreigner who helped Americans better understand themselves. Here, in print for the first time, is a collection of Cooke's finest reports that celebrates the inimitable style of this wise and avuncular reporter. Beginning…