Dear Mr. Cornwell, I realize you probably get inundated with hundreds of emails a day and more than likely don’t have time to read them all, let alone answer them. so I’ll try and make this short. I just wanted to say thankyou for introducing me into the world of literature. I’m 25, a sales manager for a hydroponic centre in Staffordshire, England, and up until I found an old copy of Sharpe’s Company on my father’s bookshelf, had absolutley no interest whatsoever in sitting down and reading a book. Being both bored and curious, I decided to open the book I’d found and see if I could kill some time…..it’s now 12 months later and I’ve worked my way through your entire series (currently engrossed in the first half of Sharpe’s Fury which I was given for Christmas). Since reading your books I’ve found myself hunting down other titles I’ve heard mentioned and quoted, I’ve started collecting first editions (Ulysses, Brave New World and Nineteen Eightyfour amongst many, many others), I’ve found myself making time and excuses just so as I can reopen a book I have started, just so I can reenter a world I didn’t even know existed until I first found a book that you’d written called Sharpe’s Company). Your work has both educated and inspired me more than words can convey. So once again, thankyou. Simon