Dear Mr Cornwell, This is just a brief e-mail to thank you for the many happy hours of reading I have enjoyed courtesy of your pen (or more likely nowadays your keyboard!). I have only started to read your books recently and did not start with the Sharpe series but with the Saxon stories (I eagerly await the Burning Land which I have on pre-order in paperback!). I found this series fascinating because much of our historical eduction tends to focus on the Romans and then leaps forward to the Normans, sadly bypassing the “dark ages”. Not surprisingly I found myself supporting the Anglo-Saxons in their battles with the Viking invaders. Of course all of this was turned upon its head when I next went on to read the Arthurian books with the Saxons playing the role of invader! It is interesting to consider what being British really means! I then went forward in time with the Grail Quest series and Azincourt. I have to say Azincourt is one of my favourites and it is astounding as to how, even to this day, this incredible battle can say something meaningful about “Englishness”. I very much enjoyed the extra section on the battle site, the nature of archery and Shakespeare’s Henry V battle speech. Most recently I was given the first two Sharpe books for my birthday and will gradually make my way through the series. This has been very enjoyable so far and I’m sure I will like it when I get to the Napoleonic sections as I enjoyed the Simon Scarrow books (I haven’t got past the Indian stage yet!). I was also given the Starbuck Chronicles at the same time. The American civil war is an incredible period in history and the Ken Burn’s DVD documentary is one of my favourites. I was really enjoying this series. Of course you can gather where this is going! I’m sure the last words of the Bloody Ground were something along the lines “and Starbuck will fight again…”. As you suggest on your web-site he has had quite a vacation now and therefore could I just add my request to that of others that you continue this series (after all it’s been a while since you have been writing the Sharpe stories!). Yours sincerely and with thanks. Mark Jarvis.