James Inglis

This is a strange book to review as in some ways it is much better than it gives the impression of being. But on the other hand it has an attitude to the material that can be offhandish. The book is a collection of war speeches and both famous and some more obscure ones are included. It's a fine mix and it gives more of the speech than is normal and includes information on the speech. All of this is 4 stars, but then it is as if the Author or the Editor felt abit funny about including so many war speeches and had to include some pacifists quotes. It doesn't add to the book in fact it subtracts from an otherwise fine work.

The contents page is 4 pages long and I'll include the first speech on each page and the last one to give an idea of how wide the contents is.

The Death of Pisander in the Trojan War, From Homer, The Iliad, c. 750 BC

"We Must Dare, Dare Again, Always Dare", Georges Jacques Danton, Paris, 1792

"Before the Gate of Germany Stands the New German Army", Adolf Hitler, Nuremberg, Germany, 1936

"The Black of the Night Must Pass", John Curtin, Canberra, Australia, 1942

"Axis of Evil", George W. Bush, Washington D.C., 2002

Another interesting but disturbing thing in the speeches is how much the world has changed and how many of these speeches could not be said today, for example could you imagine any modern politician saying as Churchill did in 1940 "I expect the Battle of Britain is about to begin. Upon this battle depends the survival of Christian Civilization." just to give one example.… (meer)