The Penguin Book of Historic Speeches

In this superb companion volume to the acclaimed Penguin Book of Twentieth-Century Speeches, veteran journalist Brian MacArthur brings together the words of more than one hundred influential men and women who changed and inspired the world through the sheer power of their oratory.

This newly updated edition includes the best speeches in history from notable modern political figures such as Winston Churchill, John F. Kennedy, Mahatma Gandhi, and Martin Luther King, Jr., as well as famed historical figures such as Moses, Cicero, and Socrates. Helpfully broken out into categories such as Ancient Times (Moses, Jesus, Mohammed), The Birth of the United States (John Hancock, Samuel Adams, Benjamin Franklin), and Women’s Liberation (Susan B. Anthony, Sojourner Truth, Betty Freidan), this indispensable reference deserves a spot on the shelf of every student, armchair historian, and teacher.

Brian MacArthur is the editor of the acclaimed Penguin Book of 20th-Century Speeches and is the author of several books, including For King and Country: Voices from the First World War. A former editor of the Times Higher Education Supplement and executive editor of the Times (London), he lives in London and Norfolk, England.