The Great British Speeches

by Simon Heffer

50 speeches from every period of British history from the medieval era to the present and a fascinating dip-in history title that will both inspire readers and give them a greater understanding of British history.

The speechmakers King Henry V; Queen Elizabeth I; King Charles I; Oliver Cromwell; Earl of Shelburne; Edmund Burke (3); Charles James Fox (2); William Pitt (2); Warren Hastings; William Wilberforce; R.B. Sheridan; Robert Peel; Charles Grey; Thomas Carlyle; Lord Palmerston; John Bright (2); Benjamin Disraeli; William Gladstone; James Campbell-Bannerman; F.E. Smith; David Lloyd George (2); Stanley Baldwin; King Edward VIII; King George VI; Winston Churchill (4); Aneurin Bevan; Harold Macmillan (2); Hugh Gaitskell (2); Nigel Birch; Harold Wilson; Enoch Powell (2); Michael Foot; Margaret Thatcher (2); Neil Kinnock; Geoffrey Howe; Charles Spencer; Tony Blair.,
,

Genres: History, Politics, Nonfiction

448 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 2011

About the author

Simon James Heffer is an English historian, journalist, author and political commentator.

Reviews

[Andri · Rating 2 out of 5]

Fifty speeches - some good, some stirring, much waffle. But we can access most, if not all, of the speeches on line and Heffer's contribution is minimal.

A book club member chose this expecting to learn more about British history but it's a motley assortment and one of the speeches is lifted from Shakespeare's King Henry V! Having read it, I'm none the wiser as to why the author chose these 50 speeches as opposed to any others. He doesn't even tell readers whether they've been chosen to demonstrate a particular thesis, linguistic or political.

Another book club member thought this was an easy money-maker for the author, the kind of book some might give as a Christmas present.

edit

[Renee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Too many of these speeches are frankly boring, poorly written, and by the same type of GreatWhiteMan. I had hoped for more.
Still, it's a starting point.