Sam Leith Books
Sam Leith is a British author, journalist, and literary editor of The Spectator. He has written for numerous publications including The Guardian, The Times, and The Financial Times, and is known for his wit and insight into language, literature, and culture.
Known for: Words Like Loaded Pistols: Rhetoric from Aristotle to Obama
Books by Sam Leith
Words Like Loaded Pistols: Rhetoric from Aristotle to Obama
A lively and accessible exploration of the art of rhetoric, tracing its history from ancient Greece to modern political speeches. Sam Leith examines how persuasion works, analyzing figures from Aristotle and Cicero to Churchill, Obama, and contemporary media, showing how rhetorical techniques shape public discourse and influence thought.
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Aristotle’s Foundations
When Aristotle defined rhetoric as the counterpart of dialectic, he was giving the art of persuasion both dignity and structure. To him, rhetoric was not trickery; it was the systematic study of how humans reason together. His tripartite division—ethos, pathos, and logos—remains the cornerstone of r...
From Words Like Loaded Pistols: Rhetoric from Aristotle to Obama
Roman Masters
If the Greeks invented rhetoric, the Romans perfected its practice. Cicero stands as the great exemplar—a lawyer, statesman, and philosopher who saw oratory not only as practical skill but as moral endeavor. His speeches against Catiline or in defense of the Republic embodied the belief that eloquen...
From Words Like Loaded Pistols: Rhetoric from Aristotle to Obama
About Sam Leith
Sam Leith is a British author, journalist, and literary editor of The Spectator. He has written for numerous publications including The Guardian, The Times, and The Financial Times, and is known for his wit and insight into language, literature, and culture.
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Sam Leith is a British author, journalist, and literary editor of The Spectator. He has written for numerous publications including The Guardian, The Times, and The Financial Times, and is known for his wit and insight into language, literature, and culture.
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