Dear Mr Cornwell I am an avid reader of your Sharpe books and others. I have read them all but two and I doubt that I have the will power to save them. Two questions spring to mind. Why does Sharpe sharpen his sword before a battle and not after? I would have thought a sharp sword would have been handy at all times. Are the Sharpe books as popular in France as elsewhere in the world? Regards Barry Iacoppi (New Zealand)