Words of a Century

Words of a Century presents an anthology of the top 100 speeches of the twentieth-century. The selections were determined in a nationwide survey of communication scholars, based on rhetorical artistry and historical impact. Reprinted in full, these authoritative texts are preceded by headnotes that place the speeches into historical context.

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This is an anthology of the top 100 American speeches of the twentieth century, as determined in the nationwide survey of communication scholars conducted at the end of 1999. Respondents were asked to judge speeches on two main criteria: rhetorical artistry and historical impact. The survey received considerable press coverage, and the website that houses the survey results gets hundreds of hits weekly. The major attraction of the book for an academic/higher education market - full, accurate texts of all 100 of the top speeches of the 20th century - should make it at least equally appealing for the trade market. It should remain the authoritative volume of 20th century speeches well into the 21st century.