Churchill Speaks: Collected Speeches in Peace and War, 1897-1963

by Winston S. Churchill

"If you cringe whenever you hear our civic leaders butcher an over-rehearsed line, mix a metaphor or use any number of PC abominations currently in vogue, wash your ears out with this collection of speeches by a master of the English language. I consider any literary work or speech by Churchill to be among the best examples of the proper use of our great and beautiful language. More so than even Shakespeare, because Shakespeare is so antiquated, Churchill is the high priest of proper modern English. Churchill had a way of mixing humor, invective and sarcasm to drive home his point, but never in a base or vulgar way. He never pandered to the audience or talked down to them; he spoke honestly in a determined and forthright manner that assumed a level of intelligence capable of understanding whatever he said. Churchill was the most quotable of twentieth century world leaders. Who could forget his cut at "An Italian sausage in a Sam Browne belt." Or this gem about truth which should have been played weekly during the political scandals of the 1990 "Truth is incontrovertible. Malice may attack it and ignorance deride it, but in the end, there it is." This book also serves as an excellent historical reference. It is thoroughly indexed and has a comprehensive table of contents. The editor has written a helpful preface to each series of speeches to provide background for the modern reader. The book should prove interesting to any history buff, and should read like poetry to those who love the English language, properly used."

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Classics, Politics, Biography, Military History, World War II

997 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1974

About the author

Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill, politician and writer, as prime minister from 1940 to 1945 and from 1951 to 1955 led Great Britain, published several works, including The Second World War from 1948 to 1953, and then won the Nobel Prize for literature.

William Maxwell Aitken, first baron Beaverbrook, held many cabinet positions during the 1940s as a confidant of Churchill.

Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, KG, OM, CH, TD, FRS, PC (Can), served the United Kingdom again. A noted statesman, orator and strategist, Churchill also served as an officer in the Army. This prolific author "for his mastery of historical and biographical description as well as for brilliant oratory in defending exalted human values."

Out of respect for Winston_Churchill, the well-known American author, Winston S. Churchill offered to use his middle initial as an author.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winston...

Reviews

[Vicky Hunt · Rating 5 out of 5]

War of Words

An excellent resource, augmented with various Churchill voice recordings I found on Audible and online.

For a good online only resource see the Archive at
The National Churchill Museum

But, this hardback provides all of Churchill's speech transcripts in one location for those interested.

[Julia P · Rating 2 out of 5]

I liked a different book on Churchill better.

[TJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great insight into the phenomenal speeches of Churchill. It's an art and Churchill possessed it. Very convenient to read because you can read the chapters individually.

[Jim Messenger · Rating 5 out of 5]

Unfortunately haven't got the time to read all Churchill's great works, but this was a starter. Concise, picking out arguably his most important speeches, with a short foreword for each one stating the political and personal scene at that time.