Mr. Cornwell, I recently read Agincourt which I enjoyed tremendously, learning a great deal about the hundred years war. Being of Anglo-Saxon and French heritage (from Poiriers, France), it occurred to me that I may have had ancestors on both sides. One of your readers commented on DuPuytren’s Contracture; this is also called the Viking Disease and is most common in those of Scandinavian and/or Saxon descent (such as myself). I do have DuPuytren’s C. as well. I am currently reading The Lost Kingdom and feel that you have helped me connect with and identify with my roots. I am a 60 year old pharmacist and have mead making as one of my hobbies. I also have genealogy as one of my passions and have traced my daughters’ ancestry through their mother’s line back to Alfred the Great; he is their 36th great-grandfather. I thank you for the great pleasure you have already given me as well as the hours still ahead.

Richard J.P. Smith