The Penguin Book of Historic Speeches

From Moses to Nelson Mandela, speeches have changed the way we see the world and the way the world is shaped. 
 
The Penguin Book of Historic Speeches gathers together the world's greatest speeches, bringing together the words of over one hundred men and women. These brilliant and passionate declarations by Socrates, Robespierre, Lincoln, Queen Elizabeth I, Churchill, Washington, Pankhurst, Gandhi and many others provide a vivid glimpse of history in the making while retaining their power to move and inspire today. 
 
'Impeccable. MacArthur prefaces each address with a short but scholarly historical explanation that sets the scene perfectly. An attractive volume' Andrew Roberts, Sunday Times 
 
'Works well not just as an anthology but as a history' Independent on Sunday

Impeccable. MacArthur prefaces each address with a short but scholarly historical explanation that sets the scene perfectly. An attractive volume with a splendidly pithy introducton

MacArthur wisely [concentrates] on certain political conflicts - gathering together the oratory of the American Civil War or the campaign for female suffrage. His book works well not just as an anthology but as a history of those episodes

A collection to stir the blood and lift the heart

Brian MacArthur was founder editor of Today and The Times Higher Education Supplement, and editor of the Western Morning News. He was deputy editor of the Sunday Times and executive editor of The Times. He has written Surviving the Sword: Prisoners of the Japanese 1942-1945. He has been interested in the power of oratory since first hearing Aneurin Bevan on the hustings in 1956 and has edited The Penguin Book of Modern Speeches and The Penguin Book of Twentieth-Century Protest. Brian MacArthur lives in Norfolk and London and has two daughters.

From Moses to Nelson Mandela, speeches have helped both change the way we see the world and the way the world is shaped. A great orator, however, has to have the right words and the right message to inspire his or her followers. 
 
The Penguin Book of Historic Speeches gathers together the world's greatest speeches, bringing together the words of over one hundred men and women. These brilliant and passionate declarations by Disraeli, Lincoln, Gladstone, Churchill, Washington, Socrates, Pankhurst, Lenin, Gandhi and many others provide a vivid glimpse of history in the making while retaining their power to move and inspire today.

Brian MacArthur

It would be hard to do better than MacArthur's selection, which is a tribute to the breadth of his knowledge

Time and again, MacArthur satisfies the reader's expectations. They are all here: Lloyd George's fit country for heroes, Woodrow Wilson's world made safe for democracy, Enoch Powell's River Tiber foaming with much blood. Those who hate the sound of public men may still find it hard to listen to MacArthur's voices and not be moved

The twentieth century was a century of idealism and revolution and as never before speeches were crucial in stirring the hearts and minds of millions around the world. 
 
Whether it was Churchill rousing the British to take up arms or the dream of Martin Luther King, Fidel Castro inspiring the Cuban revolution or Salman Rushdie denouncing his fatwa, speeches have made headlines and shaped the way we see ourselves and the larger society. 
 
Gathered here are some of the most extraordinary and memorable speeches of the modern era. Some are well known, others less so, but all, in their way, whether large or small, had a hand in shaping the world that we inhabit now. 
 
This new edition has been updated to include the most significant speeches up to 2017.

The Penguin Book of Modern Speeches

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Brian MacArthur

Praise for The Penguin Book of Modern Speeches

It would be hard to do better than MacArthur's selection, which is a tribute to the breadth of his knowledge

Time and again, MacArthur satisfies the reader's expectations. They are all here: Lloyd George's fit country for heroes, Woodrow Wilson's world made safe for democracy, Enoch Powell's River Tiber foaming with much b ...

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