8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
The choice of the speeches included is part of the value of this collection and much can be learned from who and what is chosen, October 6, 2007
This review is from: World's Great Speeches (Paperback)
230 speakers, 278 speeches, over 800 pages taken from throughout history. Each speech has a short biographical note that precedes each speaker and offers some insight into why the speech is presented.
The introduction to the book offers a number of reasons to read this suggesting that it is a treasure house for public speakers and so on. I found it interesting to see what was picked for the specific authors.
When you list all of these mostly well-known and influential individuals in this book the very speeches chosen for the representation make a statement worth thinking about. For example was Socrates really the most eloquent in his speech when condemned to death or what overall outlook on life something that may have been overlooked in this book? Likewise Caesar for all that he did is captured only in his comments about "the treatment of Conspirators". The speeches put a label on those that made them through their inclusion and offer a unique view of history.
The book has a lot of surprises. Red Jacket's speech to the chiefs concerning the actions of the white missionaries is a pleasant surprise to find in this list. As expected you find several from Lincoln and Kennedy. Probably not expected by many would be speeches from Stalin, Hitler and Mussolini.
The book brings focus to many that we know well and to some that maybe we ought to know better.
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